JC: Ed Biggers
Part 4: Adjournment
Chapter 12
By
Lazlo Zalezac
Copyright (C) Lazlo Zalezac, 2004

Arriving at the church, Ed was surprised to find Marguerite and 
Bob at the door greeting the guests. Dressed in a gorgeous white 
wedding gown, she looked beautiful as her figure was shown off in 
the best possible manner, with a very well defined cleavage. She 
took his hand within both of hers and told him, "I'm so glad that 
you came."

"Our family wouldn't miss this for the world."

"You aren't bothered by the fact that it is in a church?"

Puzzled by the question, Ed replied, "Why would that bother me?"

She didn't know how to answer that question, having assumed that 
being a Druid meant he would have a little hostility towards the 
Catholic Church. Recovering, she said, "I just thought you might 
not be comfortable in a church."

"The seats are hard?" asked Ed knowing what she meant and took 
the opportunity to tease her a little.

She laughed and replied, "Very."

When Ed, followed by the family, entered the church, Father 
Donnelley greeted him. Shifting uncomfortably, the priest asked, 
"Would you mind sitting on the last row?"

Overhearing the request, Linda was furious. She was a practicing 
Catholic and felt that the priest had overstepped his bounds by 
asking them to sit in the back. It came as a shock to her when Ed 
replied, "No problem. In fact, that is a good idea. That way if the 
kids get bored during the ceremony we can deal with them without 
making too much of a disturbance. I appreciate your suggestion 
regardless of motive."

The priest flushed at the implied chastisement of his actions. It was 
true that he didn't want the three Druids in a location where they 
would be highly visible. In fact, he didn't really want them present 
in his church, but the Bishop had told him that it would be best to 
allow them to attend the ceremony reminding the priest that pagans 
could be converted. He nodded and replied, "Thank you. May I 
make one additional request?"

"Sure."

"Would you and the other Druids to remain seated throughout the 
service. I think it would not be appropriate for you to follow the 
rituals of true Catholics."

"We shall honor your request, Father Donnelley," replied Ed with a 
short nod of his head understanding the nature of the request. 

Once the priest had left, a furious Linda turned to Ed and asked, 
"How could you let him treat you that way?"

Hoping to reduce her anger, Ed replied, "This is the house of his 
God and he has a right to protect it from desecration by individuals 
that he feels are a threat. He asked us to stay back from the true 
believers so that we wouldn't undermine his ceremony. He asked 
us to remain seated so that we wouldn't make a mockery of sacred 
rites. Those are all reasonable requests."

Angry at the implications that her husbands would do anything 
sacrilegious, Linda retorted, "You wouldn't do any of those 
things."

"True, but he doesn't know that. Would your grandfather allow 
Father Donnelley to participate in an Indian Ritual?"

Linda sat down much more subdued, understanding the point that 
Ed had made. As she thought about his reply, Ed turned to the 
others and explained the priest's requests. John and Kelly didn't see 
any insult in the suggestions and no reason not to follow them.

As the processional began, Ed turned back to watch the 
proceedings. Father Donnelley lead the procession followed by a 
cross bearer, assistants, the couple escorted by their parents and the 
bridesmaids with the best man. He had expected the traditional 
wedding march, but the music was some sort of hymn. She didn't 
perform the typical step forward, step even, pause, and repeat type 
of walk that he had noticed in other services. 

When she passed the row where Ed was seated, she winked at him 
with a large smile on her face. As she smiled at him, he was 
reminded that the first time Bob had declared his love for her was 
after the two of them had double-teamed her. To him, it seemed 
like the two of them had been engaged for years. In fact, they had 
been engaged for years, but this was the first June since Bob had 
recovered from his neck injury. His neck was still a little stiff at 
times, but it no longer hurt. It was hard to believe that she was 
finally getting married to Bob.

The priest went through a number of prayers and hymns before 
reaching the part in the ceremony where the couple exchanged 
vows. Ed sat threw the whole ceremony while the others in the 
room stood, kneeled, and sat at varying parts. He had never 
experienced a Catholic service and it all seemed rather odd to him.  

As the time approached for the exchange of vows, the church 
seemed to fill slowly with the kind of feeling that Ed associated 
with Gods and Goddess, but it was slightly different. He knew that 
it was the Christian God coming to this place of worship to bless 
the couple. There was a brightening of the area around the couple 
as the priest led them through the exchange of their vows. The 
three Druids watched as the joining of the couple formed, seen by 
them as golden thread stretching from one to the other. 

Once the vows were exchanged, the bridesmaids went to the pews 
and sat down as the couple knelt on pillows. Other Catholics came 
to the front to receive the Eucharist. Ed watched the proceedings 
interested in how the glow at the front of the church brightened as 
that part of the ceremony progressed. After all that wished to 
partake of the Eucharist had been to the front of the church, the 
priest gave a blessing and then a dismissal. There was much about 
the entire ceremony that Ed didn't understand.  

As the couple walked down the isle, both of them had the same 
kind of glow that Ed had felt each time he had married. The 
thought reminded him that tomorrow was their anniversary and it 
was time again for each of them to drink of the wine. Renewing 
their vows every year had the consequence that they never took 
each other for granted. Every year, the family pulled closer 
together as the magic worked upon them. 

The bride and groom left the chapel and it was time for the guests 
to leave the church. The Carter Clan was among the last to leave 
the church and joined the line of people waiting to throw birdseed 
at the couple. Ed had cheated and taken two bags of the seed. 
When Kelly noticed, she slapped his shoulder and said, "You 
naughty boy."

Grinning, Ed said, "Hey, I love throwing the seeds at them!"

Little John and Beth were excited about throwing the birdseed, 
although it took two attempts to convince them that they should 
take it out of the mesh in which it was wrapped. Little John had 
wanted to throw the whole package at once and Beth wanted to 
unwrap it immediately. 

When the couple came out of the church, everyone started cheering 
and throwing the seeds. It didn't take long for the kids to run out 
and they begged Ed for more. Smiling, they shared the extra bag of 
seed that Ed had taken. Kelly had seen him hand the little bag of 
seeds over to the kids and nudged him as she said, "Good Daddy."

Shrugging, he said, "Hey, it's good to see them have a little fun."

By that time, the couple had reached the limousine and hurried 
inside with birdseed covering their clothes. The reception was 
going to be held at the Phoenix Botanical Gardens. Although it was 
quite a drive, Cathy had made sure that there were several vans to 
take people that would have a difficult time making it there on 
their own. 

Beth looked up at the priest by the door with a confused look on 
her face. She went over to the priest, followed closely by Little 
John. In a discreet manner, John and Ed followed behind. Once 
there, she looked up at the priest and said, "Your God is a bright 
light."

Father Donnelley stared at Beth in shock. As the priest stuttered, 
Little John said, "He's not like our Gods and Goddesses."

Beth replied, "Yes. It is a different feeling altogether."

"Good, but different," added Little John.

Looking at each other, John and Ed wondered how Father 
Donnelley was going to react to the news. The priest still had a 
problem with the Druids, but he had never voiced it. Now, he 
didn't know what to say. These kids had talked to him in total 
honesty and without guile. Ed whispered to John, "Why don't you 
take the kids to their moms while I talk to Father Donnelley?"

After saying goodbye, the kids went off with their father to return 
to the mothers. Ed watched them leave and, turning to face the 
priest, said, "They know the Goddess already. When your God 
descended during the ceremony to bless Marguerite and Bob, we 
could all see him."

Open mouthed, the priest stared at Ed unable to believe what he 
was hearing. These people claimed to be able to see God in his 
church. This was what he had feared about bringing these pagans 
into the church. They had mocked his beliefs and used children to 
accomplish it. Angry beyond belief, he shouted, "Blasphemer!"

Ed smiled in understanding at the priest and shook his head as the 
priest raved at him in outrage. When the priest finally wound 
down, Ed said, "Touch my medallion."

Rather than reaching to touch the medallion, the priest in righteous 
anger grabbed it with the intent of tearing from his neck. The 
action died the moment his hand contacted it. His face went slack. 
After a minute, he released the medallion and stared at Ed. Moving 
in slow motion, he turned away from Ed and entered the church. 
Left outside, Ed wondered what the priest had seen.

When Father Donnelley had grasped the medallion, he was 
transported to a quiet meadow in which an attractive naked couple 
stood holding hands facing him with wry smiles on their face. The 
man said, "We are the Two-Sided One, the God and Goddess in 
one that Ed serves."

Looking at the man, Father Donnelley didn't know what to say. 
After a moment, he croaked, "Demon."

The woman smiled and said, "So your church has labeled us for 
centuries."

The man said, "Your God wishes you to enter his house."

The priest scoffed, "You claim to speak for God Almighty."

"No, we are delivering a request to you from him," said the woman 
with a trace of amusement in her voice. At that time, the vision 
ended leaving the priest disoriented.

Inside the church, Father Donnelley knelt in confusion and prayed 
for guidance from his God. He spent ten minutes in deep prayer as 
Ed waited outside for the return of the priest knowing that a 
changed man would exit the church. John came over and asked, 
"What's up?"

"He's inside praying."

"Looked a little angry to me."

Ed smiled at the mild description of the priest's state of mind. He 
answered, "He was furious until he went to rip the medallion off 
my neck. I think he met the Two-Sided One."

Raising an eyebrow at the idea, John said, "The rest of the family 
is ready to go to the reception. What about you?"

"I'll wait here for Father Donnelley. When he comes out, we'll ride 
together. If he doesn't want to ride with me, I'll take my car."

"Okay, we'll see you there," replied John. He was a little 
disappointed that it was Ed that had faced the priest. In a way, he 
felt that as head of the Druids, it should have been his role to be the 
bridge among the various religions.

Observing the look, Ed winked and said, "Don't be so sad. Your 
service is to save lives, remove evil, and provide people with 
choices. Mine is to the truth."

As always, John was amazed at the insight of his husband. Shaking 
his head, he replied, "I know. It is just that there is so much more 
that I want to do."

Ed sat down on the steps watching John gather up the family and 
head over to the cars. With so many people, including the family 
and the staff, they had brought five cars. Ed was left with a single 
car in which Linda was waiting for him to finish his business. 

Linda, a good practicing Catholic, was worried. Ever since their 
arrival at the church, she was afraid of what would happen between 
the Druids and the Father Donnelley. The requests of the priest had 
angered her, as her spouses had done nothing wrong. The 
comments of the kids had upset the priest and the altercation 
between the men had suggested that Ed had said something that 
angered the priest. 

Her abdomen rippled and a light sweat broke out on her brow. This 
was not the first time she had felt that way. In fact, she had not felt 
well since she had gotten pregnant after her visit with John and she 
was beginning to worry that she was getting ill. Pensive, she 
waited to see what would happen next.

The door behind Ed slowly opened and Father Donnelley stepped 
out of the church. For a moment, he stood on the steps and looked 
at the sky around him. There was a look of wonder on his face as if 
he had just rediscovered the miracle of the world around him. His 
hair, what little remained of it, had turned white. The priest, feeling 
contrite for his previous actions, sat down on the steps next to Ed 
and said, "I'm sorry."

"For what?"

"My hostility in the past. I didn't understand."

Ed shrugged and replied, "It never bothered me."

"So you saw my God." It wasn't a question, but a statement by the 
priest to confirm what Ed had said earlier.

"Yes. I take it you saw mine," remarked Ed with a smile as he 
privately wondered in which form the priest had encountered him.

"Yes I did."

"I take it you also saw yours."

"Yes, I did," answered the priest as his hand went to his chest to 
feel the wooden cross hanging around his neck. He looked over at 
Ed and recalled that Ed's service was to the truth. What did it mean 
to be in the service of truth? All religions valued truth and it was 
the one meeting ground that all holy men shared.

"Ready to go to the reception?" asked Ed.

Nodding his readiness, the priest replied, "Yes, I am."

"Come with us. We'll bring you back here when you are ready to 
return." Ed made the offer fully expecting the priest to accept it.

Father Donnelley had not realized that Ed had waited to give him a 
ride to the reception. It proved to him that Ed was thoughtful and 
concerned about his well being. He doubted that he could actually 
drive himself and replied, "I'm afraid that I won't be very good 
company."

"I understand. It takes time to recover from such meetings."

The priest broke out in laughter, realizing that Ed probably 
understood better than any other individual within the Church. The 
irony was not lost on him as he replied, "I never thought I would 
find understanding from a pagan."

Chuckling softly, Ed stood and helped the man stand up. As he led 
the priest to the car, he commented, "I like the white hair."

"Pardon?"

"Your hair turned white."

An uncomfortable silence held sway in the car as the trio headed to 
the site of the reception. Father Donnelley sat in the back seat of 
the car thinking over his experience, occasionally reaching up to 
stroke the wooden cross resting on his chest. Concentrating on 
driving the car with the appropriate care for a man carrying a 
pregnant woman, Ed said nothing. This left Linda silently 
watching the priest, changed from his experience, as he meditated 
on what he had seen. 

When they pulled into the parking lot of the Phoenix Botanical 
Gardens, Linda finally broke the silence as she asked, "Are you 
going to be a Saint?"

The question brought a smile to Ed as he recalled the advice that 
an elderly doctor had given to Greg Dow. In particular, he had said 
that saints make lousy role models. The reaction of the priest was 
one of horror as he said, "I hope not."

Teasing, Ed said, "It's not up to you."

"I thought you were going to help cheer me up."

Ed laughed and said, "Welcome to the club of those of us whose 
fates the powers that be have chosen to direct on our behalf."

The priest understood the reference as a way to refer to all Gods 
and Goddesses that formed the core of religious beliefs of all 
kinds. His hand went to the cross on his chest as he wondered 
about his future. Life until that day had been spent as a priest 
working in a small parish in an out of the way town in the middle 
of nowhere. A shudder went through his body as he thought about 
what his future might hold.

The three of them went into the Phoenix Botanical Gardens and 
were directed to Dorrance Hall where the reception was being 
held. The air held the smells of great meals in preparation. 
Nationally and internationally known Chefs had come to prepare 
the meals for the newlyweds in a show of respect for Marguerites 
cooking abilities. They had borrowed the idea used by Marguerite 
at the wedding reception for Dale and Terry. Samples of various 
dishes with stacks of colored papers for guests to select their meal 
were provided at the entry to the Hall. 

Ed was overwhelmed by the selection of dishes and finally allowed 
Linda to decide for him what he should eat. With a grin, she 
selected a Thai Dish knowing that Ed always approached foreign 
foods with a great sense of wonder and adventure. She figured that 
he would appreciate its spicy taste and exotic flavors. Knowing 
that she could swap dishes with Ed in case he didn't like his, she 
went with a wild game dish with duck, venison, and fish. A very 
subdued Father Donnelley took the Steak Diane.

It was time for the couple to seek out the rest of their family and 
they went in the general direction in which they expected to find 
their husbands and wives. Father Donnelley went to the table at the 
head of the room to join the newlyweds. As fitted his priestly 
duties, he would give a prayer before eating the meal. 

After searching for a few minutes, Ed spotted the family at the 
table directly in front of the newlyweds. Shaking his head at the 
honor that had been given the entire family, he led Linda over to 
the table. The rest of the staff was seated at the table next to theirs. 

As Ed sat down, Beth said, "He looks happy now that he's seen his 
God."

Nodding his agreement with her assessment of the situation, Ed 
replied, "Yes, he does."

Little John was silent for a long time and then asked, "Why was he 
mad that we could see his God?"

John glanced around the table catching Ed's attention. Watching 
the reaction of his son, John answered, "I think it is a private 
matter for him and we should respect his desire for privacy."

"Would it harm him to ask?"

"No, it would not harm him to ask," replied John interested in 
seeing how Little John would explore the issue of privacy.

"So I could ask?"

Nodding, John replied, "Yes, you could ask him if you really felt 
that you had to know. May I ask why you are so curious about 
that?"

"I think he doesn't like the Goddess," replied Little John as Beth 
nodded her agreement.

Ed interjected, "It was not the case that he didn't like the Goddess, 
but that he believed that the Goddess didn't exist. He knows 
otherwise now."

"Norance," said Little John as though that explained everything.

"Ignorance," corrected Beth as John and Ed smiled at the 
exchange.

Kelly, watching the discussion, interrupted, "It wasn't ignorance, it 
was that his faith in his God didn't allow him to accept the 
existence of our Gods and Goddesses."

Both children got quiet as they thought about what they had just 
learned. Watching as they considered the information given to 
them, the family knew that the synthesis of an understanding 
would take time. Ed hoped that perhaps he could learn additional 
insights into the issue from his children knowing that they tended 
to view the information from a perspective that was fresh. 

Father Donnelley stood as several people tapped the sides of their 
glasses hoping to get everyone's attention. The reaction as many 
people looked at the priest and noticed for the first time the 
physical changes in his appearance caused as much noise as the 
individual conversations that had been interrupted. Holding up his 
hands, the priest said, "Let us pray."

As the crowd fell silent, Father Donnelley said, "Our Lord that 
Dwells in Heaven, hear our prayers for this loving couple. It is 
easy to forget that the message of your son, Jesus Christ, was one 
of love. In recognition of this message, let the love, shared by this 
young couple, grow stronger with time and may it serve as a model 
for others to follow. Amen."

The priest sat down as people looked around in surprise at the 
shortness and directness of they prayer. Ed was tempted to clap, 
but realized that was not the appropriate reaction. The kind of 
relationship that Marguerite and Bob had planned for the future 
was not the kind of relationship that the church normally endorsed. 
It was likely that the priest understood this even before he gave the 
prayer.

A swarm of servers came out of the back of the room with dishes 
of all kinds. The head table was served first, but it wasn't long 
before all of the tables had food delivered. Ed looked at the Thai 
appetizer and tasted each item with the hesitancy of an individual 
faced with something never before experienced. Linda watched 
him with amusement, prepared to give him her salad if he found it 
totally inedible. He smiled and said, "Very interesting, I rather like 
it."

Marguerite from her seat noticed the food set in front of Ed and 
smiled at the expression on his face, as he tasted the dishes. He 
always had that same expression when she served him something 
he had never tried. She called out to him, "Enjoying your meal?"

Looking over at her, he replied, "Very much. It's a whole lot easier 
to enjoy your meal when you aren't afraid of being poisoned by the 
chef."

She laughed and shook her head in amusement. With a twinkle in 
her eye, she said, "You have no idea how much work I went 
through to make sure that you were served the poisoned dish."

Even though others in the room were not privy to the private 
teasing banter that existed between Ed and Marguerite, it was easy 
to tell that neither meant a word of what they said. Few people 
were taken by surprise when Ed put his hands around his neck and 
made choking noises. Father Donnelley laughed as hard as 
Marguerite watching the exchange. 

The kids had taken the fast food happy meals that had been 
provided. It was actually their first experience with such a meal 
and they discussed the food with the kind of passion that Ed 
possessed when trying a new dish. The consensus was that it was 
okay, but couldn't compare to most of the dishes that Marguerite 
prepared for them. As the two kids chatted, Ed remarked to the 
adults at the table, "We should probably give them the full fast 
food experience at some point in time."

Frowning, Kelly replied, "The food isn't all that healthy."

Looking across at Ed, Ling said, "I don’t trust the food served at 
those places."

Expecting some comment from Linda, Ed looked over at her and 
noticed the grimace as her stomach fluttered once again. 
Concerned, he asked, "Are you feeling alright, Linda?"

Tentatively, she replied, "It's just my stomach is bothering me a 
little. I wouldn't worry about it."

Seeing the grimace on Ed's face and knowing that Linda was 
pregnant, Kelly wasn't about to take any chances. In her best 
professional voice, she said, "Linda, you are coming home with me 
and Dr. Hayes as soon as this reception is over. He's going to give 
you a full checkup."

"There's no need," argued Linda.

"Better to be safe than sorry," retorted Kelly knowing that the 
longer a medical problem had to develop the worse the treatment 
would be. A nervous stomach might mean the onset of flu and she 
didn't want anything hurting the health of the baby developing 
within Linda. 

Beth looked over at Kelly and frowned as she thought about her 
mother getting a medical checkup. Standing up, she walked over to 
Kelly and touched the medallion around her neck. It was clear that 
nothing happened when she touched the medallion. Confused, Beth 
walked over to John and touched his medallion. Again, nothing 
happened as a result of touching the medallion. Confused, Beth 
returned to her chair and looked around the table. 

Little John leaned over and whispered something in the ear of 
Beth. The two them talked quietly enough that none of the adults 
could hear their conversation. When they sat up again, there was a 
troubled look on their face. Ed leaned forward and said, "The Gods 
and Goddesses are not your servants. They won't come to you 
every time that you are a little worried about something."

The children didn't react to the announcement, but did decide not 
to pursue it any further. Dissatisfied with his answer, Beth looked 
at the remains of her happy meal and asked, "Can I go play with 
John?"

Ed looked around and saw John squirming in his seat next to 
Shirley and Mary. It was clear to him that the children needed to 
burn a little energy. The adults had finished the appetizers and 
would soon be getting the main dishes. It wouldn't be a good time 
for the kids to be wandering around. As Ed frowned, John 
answered, "Sure. Why don't you take John and Little John over to 
that corner over there and play Hunt the Bug Eyed Monsters?"

Beth smiled as she said, "Okay. I bet Daddy John will be over 
there as soon as he is done eating."

Shaking her head, Ling answered, "No one will take that bet!"

Linda joked, "The good bet would be whether Daddy John is over 
there before Daddy Ed."

Little John said, "No, he's too busy trying new food to beat Daddy 
John."

As the family laughed, the children went to get John to play with 
them. Ed watched them as they politely asked permission from the 
parents for them to play. It was clear that the idea came as a relief 
to the parents. After a few minutes, the kids went over to the 
corner and started playing. Before long, other kids went over to 
join them. Muted shouts of boom, bang, and whirs formed a gentle 
background noise that didn't disturb anyone. 

The next course of food was served. Ed looked over his dish very 
carefully and tried a taste of the main dish. It was very spicy and a 
surprised look crossed his face. Tasting it, he said, "This is very 
strange."

The whole family watched as he sampled his food. His experience 
with the food was very deliberate and thorough. When he bit into 
one of the peppers, tears came to his eyes and he sat back looking 
at it. It took him several minutes to recover from the experience. 
Sitting back in his chair, he shook his head and said, "Talk about 
hot! Wow!"

The family chuckled as he drank half a glass of water. With great 
care, he picked all of the peppers out of the dish creating a small 
pile of them on the side of his plate. In addition to the peppers, he 
removed the little stalks of lemongrass. Once that was done, he 
attacked his food with a passion. Making appreciative noises as he 
ate, Ed was happy with the choice in meals. 

Father Donnelley watched from the table at the head of the room 
and shook his head at the childlike innocence with which Ed ate. 
There was only one word that came to mind to describe Ed and 
that word was 'sensualist.' How long had the church condemned 
sensualists for their total surrender to their senses? Watching Ed 
eat, the priest wondered where was the sin in what he was doing. 
Ed wasn't a glutton, eating only enough to fill his empty stomach. 
None of the deadly sins was present in his actions. 

Noticing the attention the priest was giving him, Ed raised a fork 
with a bit of shrimp on it and winked. The priest shook his head as 
Ed took pleasure in eating the morsel of food. Turning to 
Marguerite, he asked, "Does Ed always enjoy food that much?"

Marguerite smiled at the priest and said, "Yes, he does, but he 
won't usually let me see him enjoy it. It's a little game he plays 
with me."

"Why not?"

Marguerite laughed and said, "He likes to tease me."

The priest looked down at his steak, amazed at how well it had 
been prepared. Looking up, he said, "He says that you are the best 
cook in the world."

Amused at the second-hand source of praise about her cooking 
from Ed, Marguerite called out, "Hey Ed. Father Donnelley says 
that you told him I was the best chef in the world."

It was impossible for him to deny that he had said it. Instead of 
denying it, he answered, "Yeah, but I wasn't on the judging panel."

Father Donnelley asked, "Would that have changed the verdict of 
the judges?"

Ed suddenly found something very interesting on his plate that 
demanded his attention. John laughed and said, "Not at all."

Ed just shrugged and said, "It would have made no difference at 
all."

Marguerite smiled and turned to the priest as she said, "That's the 
first time he's ever admitted that in public. You should be 
honored."

