JC: Ed Biggers
Part 3: Accretion
Chapter 6
By
Lazlo Zalezac
Copyright (C) Lazlo Zalezac, 2004

Ed looked at the stack of folders standing in front of him and felt 
like retching. Summoning up every last reserve of his will power, 
Ed dove into the stack marking the ones that contained definite 
lies. There were five folders and they were horrible. Line after line 
of lies drove nails into his brain. Finishing them, he set them aside 
and looked at the agent. He asked, "How come you haven't closed 
any of these cases?"

"I just got them," replied the agent looking over at Shauna 
nervously. 

Ed could hear the lie and asked, "How many high dollar cases do 
you close every year?"

"Three or four," answered the agent. He looked at Ed with definite 
fear. 

"How many high dollar cases do you identify every year?" asked 
Ed in a friendly manner.

"Three or four. It's a definite lack of luck in the draw."

The lies were driving nails into his head. Ed said, "Thank you. 
Take care of those cases that I marked."

The agent picked up the stack of files and left the room. As soon as 
he was gone, he dropped his head to the desk. Shauna stepped out 
of the room and went to the office of Chad Hutchingson. Within 
minutes she had brought him back to the conference room. Ed was 
laying face down on the conference table and struggled to look up 
when they returned. With the last of his energy, he said, "That last 
agent was a crook. I wouldn't be surprised if he wasn't 
blackmailing some very rich people. Put every investigator you can 
on him."

Passing out, Ed slumped back to the table. Following the 
instructions that Ed had given her in case he should become ill in 
the course of the work today, Shauna picked up the telephone and 
called the Carter home. When Cathy answered, Shauna said, "Ed 
has passed out. He told me to call and ask for John in case this 
happened."

Cathy said, "John has been expecting your call. Hold on."

Holding the phone to her ear, Shauna leaned over and checked on 
Ed. He was still out cold. John answered the phone and said, 
"Hello, Shauna. What was Ed doing when he passed out?"

Shauna answered, "He's been going through all of these IRS files 
here. Must have been hundreds of them. Each one seemed to take 
more out of him. Finally, he just collapsed."

There was silence at the other end of the line for almost a full 
minute. Afraid that they had been cut off, Shauna was about to call 
out hello when John said, "Inside his shirt is a medallion. Don't try 
to remove it, just pull it outside his shirt."

Feeling very ill at ease, Shauna followed the directions. When she 
touched the medallion, it was as though a bolt of electricity shot 
through her body. She told John, "Okay, I've got it out."

John said, "Put it in the palm of his hand and close the hand around 
it. Then tell me what happens."

After setting the phone down, Shauna did as John had asked. When 
Ed suddenly shook in a spasm, she picked up the phone and said, 
"I think he's going into convulsions."

John said, "Did he jump like he was hit with an electric shock?"

"Exactly."

Relieved, John said, "Just wait a little while."

Ed jumped several more times before he finally sat up. He held on 
to the medallion. Excited and relieved to see him sitting up, 
Shauna told John, "He's up."

Confident that all would be well, John said, "When he's ready to 
talk hand the phone to him. I want to talk to him."

It took Ed several more minutes before he was fully alert. He 
picked up the phone and said, "Hello. John."

"Ed, you have to learn that you can't solve all of New York's 
problems in a week."

The comment made Ed laugh. He replied, "Sure thing. I don't think 
they can all be solved in a lifetime."

John said, "I think you've done enough for the office there."

Ed answered, "I'm going to spend another week here. I've 
completed almost fourth fifths of the agents. I'll pace myself a little 
better next week."

"I knew you would say that. Would you like some company? Ling 
wants to visit you."

"I'd love that," replied Ed.

John said, "That's good because she flew out there this morning. 
She's waiting in the hotel for you."

Ed exclaimed, "That's great. Marguerite is in the top ten and today 
is the last day of competition where only the top ten are cooking. 
Ling will be able to attend and support Marguerite."

Laughing, John said, "She knows and she brought formal wear for 
her and you."

"A tux?" asked Ed.

"Your robe," answered John. He added, "Harry died this week. 
You are now head of the servants of the Two-Sided One."

The news was met with silence as Ed considered the implications. 
He was now a recognized leader within the Druid organization. Ed 
said, "I'm sorry to hear about Harry, I actually liked the guy."

John said, "I'll let you get out of there. Get back to the hotel and let 
Ling work a little magic on you."

Ed said, "I'm leaving right after you hang up."

"Bye," said John as he hung up.

Laughing at the direct actions of John, he set the handset back on 
the phone. He looked up to see Chad staring at him and Shauna 
looking at him in concern. Ed said, "I am staying here next week to 
finish the case files. I'll only work two hours a day if that is okay 
with you. The strain on me has been worse that I imagined."

"You've done almost four months worth of work for a hundred and 
fifty agents in one week. I can imagine that the strain would be a 
bit rough on you," said Chad. The speed at which Ed had gone 
through the files had been awesome. Agents were following up on 
the folders that he had marked and were already identifying gross 
inconsistencies in the records. 

Nodding, Ed said, "It doesn't take me long to identify the lie, but it 
can take some time proving the lie. Your agents have a lot of work 
ahead of them. Now if you don't mind, I'm going to go back to the 
hotel and see my wife."

Opening the door to the hotel room, Ed was immediately met by a 
naked Ling. Smiling at her husband, she said, "I talked to John and 
Beth. Dr. Hayes has prescribed a treatment specifically for 
recharging your energy levels."

Grinning, Ed said, "I hope the first step is a great big toe-curling 
kiss from my wife."

After giving him a hot passionate kiss, Ling proceeded to strip his 
clothes off him. Not for the first time, she wished he would stop 
wearing cowboy boots. They were so hard to get off and there was 
no way to do it sexily. From Ed's perspective, having a woman 
help him get his boots off was sexy. After he was undressed, Ling 
said, "Come into the bathroom, I've run a bath for you."

Following her into the bathroom, Ed saw that the tub was filled 
with hot water and bubbles. She put him in the tub and then got in 
behind him. With a great deal of care, she massaged his back 
thereby working the tension out of his body. As she rubbed his 
neck, he sighed in pleasure. Slowly she worked her way around to 
his chest, washing him with a massaging motion. As he relaxed, Ed 
began to feel sleepy. As she was washing his arms, he sagged 
against her and fell asleep.

Ling finished washing him before waking him. He stood as she 
rinsed him off. Feeling weak as a kitten, he followed her to the 
bed. In minutes, he was in the land of sweet dreams. Looking 
down at her sleeping husband, Ling realized just how much she 
loved him. She understood that he didn't have the infinite energy of 
John, but would work on something with all of the energy that he 
had. This was the first time that she really realized why John 
respected Ed so much.

She went into the living room of the suite to wait for Ed to wake. A 
knock on the door surprised her. Putting on a bathrobe, she 
answered the door finding Shauna standing at the door staring at 
her, surprised to learn that Ed was married to an oriental woman. 
Shauna whispered, "Is he okay?"

Smiling, Ling said, "You must be Shauna."

"Yes, I am," answered Shauna. Looking over the small oriental 
woman, she not surprised that Ed would be married to such an 
attractive woman. She said, "You are his wife?"

Ling said, "Yes, I'm one of his wives. Would you like to come in?"

Shauna came in the room and accepted a seat on the couch. With a 
smile, Ling brought over a soft drink for her and then sat down on 
the other end of the couch. She said, "Ed has been quite 
complementary about you. He's very happy with how you've 
watched over him."

The conversation seemed surreal to Shauna, she hadn't been doing 
much except running little errands while he was working. She had 
kept his iced tea filled and snacks at hand. The only thing that she 
had done that was even close to exceptional was helping him get 
back to the hotel every night. She said, "I haven't done that much."

Ling replied, "You have done everything he asked without 
disturbing him. You took care of him when he was weak."

"Is he okay?"

Smiling at the continued concern, Ling said, "He's sleeping like a 
baby."

"That's a relief," said Shauna. 

"You care for him," said Ling.

As the week had progressed, Ed had treated her like a perfect lady. 
The dinners were an unexpected benefit as well as the hotel room 
that he had provided for her. Shauna said, "Yes, ma'am, he's been a 
wonderful person to work for. I've never been treated so well on a 
job. In the dining room, he has always treated me like an equal and 
not an employee. Never once has he mentioned race or my figure."

Smiling at the kind of things that she mentioned, Ling said, "He 
would never say anything about your appearance other than to 
appreciate it. Have you been to bed with him yet?"

"Pardon?" asked Shauna amazed that this woman could even 
suggest such a thing. She hadn't had a man hit on her in years. 
Why would a man married to such a lovely woman want to sleep 
with her? It was ridiculous.

Tilting her head to the side, Ling repeated, "I asked if you had been 
to bed with him yet."

"Look at me and answer that question for yourself. If you hadn't 
noticed I'm a big woman," replied Shauna. With a grimace on her 
face, she added, "You don't have anything to be jealous about."

Laughing at the concerns of the woman, Ling said, "First, I'm not 
jealous. Second, just because you're big doesn't mean that he 
wouldn't sleep with you if you asked him. Third, you're a nice 
woman and he appreciates that."

"You're one crazy woman. I never heard of such a thing," replied 
Shauna. In her mind, she had thought that this was one crazy bitch, 
but had refrained from putting it that way.

Gracious, Ling asked, "Do you have a proper outfit for tonight?"

"I didn't think I would be going tonight once I learned that you 
were here," she replied.

"Why on earth would my being here keep you from attending the 
dinner tonight?" asked Ling surprised at the suggestion. She 
wondered about Shauna and her strange sense of place. It was as if 
she felt inferior to everyone.

"I'll go pick up something to wear," replied Shauna.

Ling asked, "Do you need some money to buy something special?"

Puzzled at the care that Ling was showing her, Shauna asked, 
"Why are you doing this for me?"

Not understanding the question, Ling asked, "Doing what?"

"Being so nice to me." 

Floored at how difficult it was for this woman to accept descent 
treatment, Ling said, "You are a human being that is deserving of 
respect. To treat you in any way that is less than that would be 
wrong. You must understand, our family lives by two main rules. 
If it harms none, then do it. Protect the weak from the strong."

These words echoed exactly what Ed had said to her that first day. 
She hadn't believed him then, but now it was clear that was exactly 
how Ed lived. Assessing Ling, she said, "Okay. I can accept that."

With an abruptness that surprised Shauna, Ling stood up and 
walked across the room. Grabbing her purse, she came back and 
rifled through it. After a minute, she pulled out a debit card that 
had a picture of gifts on it and said, "Here, take this and buy 
yourself something that will make you look like a million dollars. 
Of course, don't spend quite that much on it. Maybe keep it under 
ten thousand."

Shauna looked at the card like it was rattlesnake, afraid to touch it. 
Taking her hand, Ling dropped the card in it and said, "Go 
shopping."

"Yes, ma'am," Shauna replied. She left and went to her room 
where she cried a full ten minutes before going shopping. 

Walking to the door to the dining room, Ed was dressed in his 
black Druid robe, Ling wore an emerald green evening dress, and 
Shauna showed up in white evening dress. The man at the door 
frowned as Ed approached, afraid that this was going to be a 
problem. He looked around for someone to help him. 

When Ed arrived at the door, he said, "I am a Druid and this is the 
formal attire of my office."

John had been edging over to see how this would play out. When 
he heard Ed say that he was a Druid, he took a deep breath in 
surprise. The stories that he had heard about the Druids were 
fantastic and almost unbelievable if proof didn't exist. The Druid 
organization was a powerful force that was able to influence events 
far more than a mere politician. He recalled the Druid's Revenge 
operation in which twenty two of them had brought down criminal 
organizations that had resisted law enforcement for decades. 
Moving over to the door, he leaned over to whisper in the man's 
ear, "Treat him like he was a Cardinal in the Catholic Church."

Other people in the area, wealthy and influential, were aware of the 
Druids. When a group of people gave solid advice and solved 
problems of significant social consequence, the powerful listened 
with great attention. Several of them approached and asked, "You 
are a Druid?"

Looking over at the crowd of people that his announcement had 
drawn, Ed decided it was time to give them proof. He reached 
inside his gown and pulled out the medallion. He said, "I am a 
Druid and I serve the Two-Sided One."

The result was electric as people suddenly looked at Ed in a 
completely different manner. Many of them that had viewed him 
as Nouveau Riche immediately changed their opinions. His actions 
and lack of concern for their opinions suddenly made sense. He 
was a holy man serving his Gods and Goddesses directly. 

Of everyone in the room, Shauna was the most surprised by the 
effect that Ed had on the people there. Everyone in the room was 
suddenly treating him like royalty. She glanced at Ling and could 
see her glowing at the reaction that Ed had engendered. This wasn't 
the first time that she had been surprised by Ed, but she expected 
that this would be the last. Tomorrow, her temporary services 
would end and she would return to her life in dull surroundings 
being treated like a fat black woman of no real value.

The crowd moved into the dining room and selected their dishes. 
As had been the case all week, John joined them at the table. This 
evening he was joined by his wife Beatrice. After the introductions 
were exchanged, John said, "I didn't realize that you were a Druid."

After looking around the room, Ed answered, "I was not aware that 
the Druids were so well known."

Laughing at the observation, John said, "There are powerful people 
in this room. When a group gives good advice, perform miracles, 
and serve a greater good, these people will listen. To do otherwise 
would jeopardize their wealth. Believe me, they know about the 
Druids, particularly after that Druids Revenge Operation."

"Oh, I didn't know that John and I had exposed the Druids that 
much to public attention," replied Ed.

Looking at Ed, some of the details about that operation returned to 
John and he realized that Ed had been one of the two architects of 
that whole operation. John answered, "I wouldn't worry about that. 
Not many people in the public sector have put together the Druids 
with the actions they've taken. I was very impressed with your role 
in the Druids Revenge Operation."

Now that the topic had turned to him directly, Ed immediately 
sought to change the topic. He said, "You know how it is, they 
killed one of us. Anyway,  how have you enjoyed the 
competition?"

Taken aback by the sudden shift in topic, John answered, "It's been 
very enjoyable. Poor Henri was shocked by Marguerite's children's 
sleepover breakfast. He couldn't believe how imaginative she was 
in the presentation."

Ling asked, "What did she do?"

"She made clown pancakes using powdered sugar to turn them 
white. She used different kinds of jellies to draw the faces on the 
pancake. There was also a little clown hat made with pineapple 
slices and a quarter of a banana sticking up through the hole of the 
pineapple with a cherry stuck on the top of the banana. She put a 
little whipped cream around the pineapple to form a lacy little top. 
The pictures of it were incredible," answered Ed.

Shauna said, "It was amazing. She won first for presentation and 
second for taste. The nutritionists gave her an eighth claiming that 
it had too much sugar."

John said, "She went simple with food that kids would recognize 
and like."

Mentally picturing the dish, Ling said, "Beth is going to be so 
happy to find that out. I bet that becomes a standard Sunday 
morning breakfast once she has a baby."

Smiling, Ed nodded his agreement. He said, "I really can't wait to 
have kids in the house."

"Kids?" asked Ling. She wondered who he was hoping would be 
the mothers. She wasn't quite ready to have a child yet, particularly 
since she had started competing.

"Yes, kids," replied Ed. Noticing the look on her face, he added, "I 
think Kelly is really starting to get into the idea of having a child."

The meals were delivered and everyone started to eat. The theme 
tonight was seafood and Ed had selected Marguerite's meal without 
knowing that she was the Chef. There were five broiled scallops on 
individual shells as an appetizer. The arrangement was exquisite 
and everyone at the table was jealous. Ling, using her fast hands, 
used her fork to spear one of his scallops and had it in her mouth 
before Ed even had a chance to complain. He looked over at her 
appetizer, disappointed to find that it was a standard Shrimp 
Cocktail and complained, "Hey, that's no fair."

Laughing Ling said, "You didn't know when you got me into a 
training program that it would come back to haunt you."

"I'll get my revenge!" exclaimed Ed. 

Shauna was looking at her dish and said, "I have never eaten so 
well in my entire life. Even though I'm eating all this food, I've 
actually lost weight this week."

Knowing what she meant, John leaned forward and said, "Most of 
these Chef's work for people that are rather vain about their 
appearance. They like to eat great meals, but don't want to loose 
their figures. That's one of the major differences between a 
commercial Chef and a private Chef."

"Really?" asked Shauna. This week had given her so many ideas 
on how to change her diet, that she was astounded to learn that 
these meals were healthy. She had decided that it was time to stop 
frying all of her meats in oil.

The soup course was served next. Ed had a clear Russian Fish 
Soup with Lime and Dill and it was outstanding. The soup had a 
slice of lime floating on surface and a fish fillet laying on the 
bottom of the bowl. The fish fillet had been trimmed into the shape 
of a nice little fish. The overall effect gave the appearance of a fish 
underneath a lily pad in clear water. The description of this course 
identified this particular soup as the favorite of Ivan The Terrible. 
Ed had picked this dish thinking that if Ivan The Terrible actually 
liked something that it must be pretty special. Everyone at the table 
tasted it and thought it was the best of the soups served at the table. 

Still unaware that he was eating the meal prepared by Marguerite, 
Ed was getting depressed. This meal was going to send the person 
way up to the top of the list. After tasting the soup, a very 
discouraged Ed said, "I guess I'm going to ask Marguerite to learn 
how to cook this soup."

Ling asked, "So how is Marguerite in the standings so far?"

Ed answered, "They reset all of the standings after the top ten were 
selected. She didn't do too well yesterday and was at sixth after 
leading through the first three days."

Concerned for Marguerite, she asked, "What happened yesterday?"

This was one minor issue where Ed and Shauna disagreed. Shauna 
said, "She did this lovely dish with baked quail inside a birdcage 
made of fried onions. It was very cute."

Ed added, "The nutritionist panned it because she thought that the 
fried onions added too many calories from fat to the meal. The 
presentation was not well received because people didn't know 
what to do with the bird cage. She scored pretty well on the flavor, 
though. Breakfast and Lunch were pretty much a wash I would 
say."

Upset on behalf of Marguerite, Ling said, "She must have been 
crushed."

Laughing at how Marguerite had reacted, Ed said, "She was 
jumping up and down out of joy for having finished in sixth. 
Apparently, she's one of the few Chefs that has made it that far in 
their first competition."

"My Chef, Henri, has competed ten times and the best he has ever 
done is third," said John. Looking over at Ling, he added, 
"Marguerite has done an amazing job so far and she should be 
overjoyed."

Looking down at his dish, Ed said, "I don't see how she can beat 
this."

As the next dish was served, Ed stared at the salad. It was a simple 
Spicy Fish Salad in which the lettuce had been arranged to look 
like a clam shell enclosing the small chunks of fish, peapods, and 
onions. It looked good, but Ed wasn't that thrilled with the fact that 
the fish was actually raw, prepared by soaking in a lime juice. Ling 
was wild about the salad, so they swapped hers for his. He ended 
up with a simple Caesar Salad with grilled shrimp.

Shauna was raving about her salad. It was described as Merluzzo 
in Insalata and was actually Cod mixed with Potatoes. It really 
appealed to her and was the kind of dish that she would like to start 
preparing. She said, "This is amazing. I never thought that a little 
fish, a little potato, and a few herbs could create such an explosion 
of flavor."

Examining her and how she treated her food today, Ed asked, "Am 
I correct in observing that you've changed how you view food?"

As Shauna looked around, she realized that her interest in food had 
been a very destructive type of interest in the past. Rather than 
appreciating the food she ate, she ate to fill some inner void. That 
behavior had turned a young thin girl into a fat woman. Now as she 
ate very good food, she realized that food was wasted if not 
appreciated. Using it as a filler was a waste since it all that it did 
was add fat without filling the need. She looked over at Ed and 
said, "I think so. I'm not sure how I've changed, but I sense that it 
is a good change."

Looking over at the large woman, Ling realized that she hadn't 
known her before the woman had spent almost five days with Ed. 
The discussion with her earlier had pointed out that she hadn't 
expected respect or proper treatment. She wondered how much the 
woman had changed over the five days. She asked, "Shauna, how 
have you found the past week?"

The question took Shauna by surprise. She looked at Ling for a 
moment before answering the question. Most of that time was 
spent trying to decide how she viewed her own experiences. 
Finally, she said, "I have never seen anyone work to the point of 
collapse before. Not just once, but almost five days in a row. I am 
overwhelmed to see such dedication to anything other than self. It 
makes me wonder how much of my time has been spent worrying 
about myself rather than the larger picture."

"Ed worked to the point of collapse?" asked John surprised to hear 
that fact. He wondered what kind of task Ed had undertaken that 
could cause that.

Shauna said, "The guy at the IRS said that he did four months 
worth of work by a hundred and fifty agents in five days. There is 
a lot to be said for selfless dedication such as that."

Correcting her, Ed said, "You have to understand that this is an 
unusual circumstance. I don't normally work like that. I think there 
is a lot to be said for selfishness too, if it is directed in a positive 
manner."

"Selfishness is good?" asked Shauna. Even John had sat up when 
Ed said that. 

"There can be no growth if you don't take the time to learn. The 
selfless will never get that time as there are thousands of people 
out there that will take advantage of them. They will use guilt to 
get you to do what they want done even though they could do it 
themselves. No, you have to be a little selfish in order to become 
the best person that you can be," answered Ed.

Smiling at the message Ed had just conveyed, Ling added, "Ed has 
a very strong work ethic. He put himself through the University 
working as a cowboy and then as a student assistant. He didn't 
have to do it that way, but it was the way that meant the most to 
him. There were times when it all got too much for him, so he 
would disappear into the desert for a couple of days to collect 
rocks. Always, he came back much happier and much stronger 
than when he left. It was the fact that he put his health and mental 
state over the demands of others that allowed him to accomplish 
what he has done."

Attempting to direct the conversation from himself, Ed asked, 
"John, do you have a hide away where you go to relax and shut off 
the demands of the rest of the world?"

John had never considered taking care of himself and his needs as 
a form of selfishness, but in hearing Ed put it that way it was clear 
that he was selfish to a significant degree. He also realized that 
everyone in this room was the same, it just differed in degree. He 
answered, "Yes, I do. I also make sure that I schedule time for my 
interests."

"Exactly. You see, most people consider selfishness to be 
consistent. You are either selfish all of the time or you are not. 
Either way, you are out of balance. It is a matter of balance. You 
have to take care of yourself in order to help others," said Ed.

The conversation came to an abrupt stop when the main course 
was brought to the table. From tables throughout the room, 
exclamations of awe exploded cutting off all conversations. Until 
the main course was brought to their table, it was unclear what was 
the cause.

Ed stared at the masterpiece that was set in front of him. A layer of 
rice had been spread over the plate to form what appeared to be a 
sandy bottom of the sea. Embedded within the rice were steamers 
in their shell, open showing the little morsels of meat inside. 
Elsewhere on the plate was a small piece of fish cut into the shape 
of a flounder. Two broiled shrimp decorated another area of rice. 
There were very small crab cakes that were formed into the shape 
of crabs. Along the bottom of the plate was a layer of mixed 
sprouts that gave the impression of seaweed. Steamed Cauliflower 
was stuck in the rice reaching up like coral to the surface.

In a much louder voice than intended, Shauna exclaimed, "Damn 
man, that looks too good eat."

Her comment returned a sense of normality to the room. Despite 
blushing in embarrassment, Shauna didn't hide herself by bending 
over and pretending to inspect her dish. Laughing, Ed said, "You 
took the words right out of my mouth."

Despite appearances, the plate did not contain that much food and 
was just enough to satisfy the appetite without being overfilling. 
As Ed finished scrapping the last of the rice off the plate, he asked, 
"Who do you think the Chef is that did this?"

Smiling over at Ed, Ling said, "Who else, except Marguerite would 
go this far in presentation?"

Nodding his head in agreement, Ed answered, "I think you're 
right."

The rest of the meal was a continuation of a masterpiece. Ed was 
overwhelmed by the work that Marguerite must have put into 
preparing fifty servings of this meal. When the meal was over, the 
Chefs came out to hear the scoring of the final day of competition 
and the overall scores. While most of the Chefs looked exhausted, 
Marguerite was still bouncing in excitement. 

Despite the failure in presentation of the previous evening, 
Marguerite won a first for presentation, a fourth for taste, and a 
sixth for nutrition. She came in fourth overall, a result that excited 
her. Henri who had come in second did not look nearly as happy as 
Marguerite. 

When the pair of Chefs came to the table, Marguerite cooed, "You 
did great Henri."

Shaking his head, Henri replied, "I really wanted first."

One of the judges came over to the table to talk to Marguerite. He 
said, "That was a very impressive performance, Marguerite. I must 
tell you that there was one flaw in all of your meals that hurt you 
significantly."

Puzzled, Marguerite asked, "What?"

"The choice of wines were all just a bit off."

It had never occurred to Ed that their lifestyle could actually hold 
someone back from succeeding in their chosen endeavor. Looking 
down at the table, Ed said, "I'm sorry Marguerite."

The judge asked, "Why are you sorry?"

"We don't have wine with our meals. John and I never drink. Beth 
and Kelly only have a glass of wine on evenings when they don't 
work the next day. Ling has stopped drinking since she started 
competing," answered Ed. 

Ling replied, "There's nothing preventing her from visiting 
wineries."

Amazed that they would arrange for their Chef to visit wineries so 
that she can compete better next time, Shauna said, "You guys 
must really be proud of her for this."

Surprised at the idea of being proud of her for a simple contest, Ed 
said, "She is being the best that she can be every day. That is the 
source of our pride in her and it has nothing to do with today's 
results. We are celebrating her success with her. We will do 
everything in our power to help her in pursuing excellence to an 
even greater degree."

Ling said, "By the way, Shauna, are you available for the next 
week? I'm afraid that the food won't be this good, but I bet 
Marguerite will be more than happy to take us on a tour of some of 
the finer places to eat in New York."

"Sure," answered Shauna wondering who could resist an offer like 
that.
