JC: Ed Biggers
Part 5: Stasis
Chapter 18
By
Lazlo Zalezac
Copyright (C) Lazlo Zalezac, 2004

Ed stripped out of his clothes and stood naked, cock flaccid, in the 
center of the hotel room. After having traveled across Arizona, 
New Mexico, Texas, Oklahoma, Arkansas, and Tennessee, Ed and 
Nora had become very comfortable with the driving arrangements. 
It wasn't until they had reached Virginia that she had finally asked 
him for a favor. More than happy to oblige, Ed had been shocked 
when she said that she wanted him to stand naked so that she could 
study his body.

Dressed in one of Ed's shirts over her underwear, Nora approached 
Ed with more nervousness than seemed reasonable considering that 
they had been naked together so many times. Relaxed, Ed waited 
for Nora to begin studying his body without the distraction of sex. 

Rather than moving directly to the parts that interested her most, 
she began by tracing the line defined by where he had to shave. It 
was interesting that his beard wasn't even, there were spots under 
the corners of his lips that had less hair than the rest of the face. 
She had never studied a man's face with that kind of attention to 
little details. She asked, "Have you ever grown a beard?"

"I've gone a few days without shaving, but the result could hardly 
be called a beard," answered Ed. 

She traced around his ears, noticing that hair was starting to grow 
out of them. In time, they would thicken and turn gray as part of 
the natural growth cycle. She wondered if he would leave the hair 
or remove it at some point in time. Leaving his ears, she examined 
his neck taking the most time with the Adam's apple; fascinated by 
this subtle difference between male and female. Other differences 
made sense to her, but not this one. 

She traced his shoulders fascinated by the muscular structure. 
Walking around him, she took in his back and chest, noticing the 
scars that showed as reddish streaks across his pale skin. The patch 
of hair that ran across his chest narrowed to a thin strip that ran 
down to his pubic region where it spread into a triangle. Thin hair 
surrounded his flat areola with small nipples set in the center. His 
chest hair did not seem to have a dominant pattern of direction in 
which it grew. 

Tracing a finger over his nipples, she was surprised to see them 
stiffen. She had never thought about male nipples reacting to touch 
the same way as female nipples. Looking up at his face, she asked, 
"Are your nipples sensitive?"

"Yes, they are," replied Ed.  

"Interesting," remarked Nora as she continued her explorations of 
his body. 

Ed had women study his body in the past, but never with such 
attention to detail. While it was clear that this was something that 
she wanted, it wasn't a selfish desire on her part. She had realized 
that it had come time for her to learn more about the male body so 
that she could be a better lover. She was taking responsibility that 
sex with her would stop being a mere rubbing of one body against 
another and become a loving experience.

It was a long time before she reached his genitals. His cock was 
still flaccid despite the fact that she had been touching almost 
every part of his body watching it for reactions to her touch. Now 
she lifted his cock, studying the head, the shaft, and the ball sack. 
Her fingers traced the major features sending tingles of sexual 
excitement through Ed. Looking up at his face, she said, "This is 
remarkable."

"Maybe a little bigger than average, but not remarkable," replied 
Ed. 

"No, I mean the whole thing is remarkable. I never noticed all of 
the little details before," stated Nora as she continued to examine 
his cock. Her efforts were causing his cock to erect. The veins 
throbbed as pulses of blood pumped into his cock. The loose skin 
tightened as the organ filled with blood. She licked her lips, 
unconscious of her action, as she watched. "This is amazing."

Ed could feel the desires of his body striving to take control as 
Nora continued to explore his cock and balls with her hand. The 
light touch tickled him, increasing his desire for a stronger firmer 
touch. A small drop of pre-cum appeared at the tip of his cock. She 
ran her finger over the pre-cum, spreading over the head of his 
cock. The action caused him to produce more. Looking down at 
her, he said, "That feels good."

She started to jack him off, watching the changes that took place in 
his cock. Her hand was wrapped around the shaft with a light 
pressure. Glancing up at his face, she could tell that something was 
missing in her action. He reached down and enveloped her hand 
within his. Squeezing her hand to the point where the pressure on 
his cock was exactly as he liked it. Smiling, she asked, "You like a 
harder grasp on your cock."

Eyes closed and head tilted back, Ed replied, "Yes, that feels so 
good."

She kept up the pressure, jacking his shaft. With his hand, he 
extended the range of her movement to include the head of his 
cock. She could tell from the increased rigidity of his cock that he 
really liked the effect. She moved her other hand to cup his balls 
and lift them. 

After a few minutes, she was surprised when his balls drew up 
closer to his body, leaving the warmth of her hand. The head of his 
cock had turned purple and it seemed to swell even more. When he 
suddenly went rigid and held his breath, she knew he was close. 
She felt the pulses in his cock before a ribbon of come shot out the 
end. The first, second, third, and then the fourth major ribbon of 
come was released, each not quite as forceful as the previous one. 
He groaned as he said, "Less pressure and slower."

She eased off on his cock and watched as more come pooled at the 
head of his cock. The pulses within the shaft had abated to a level 
that was barely perceptible under her hand. His balls, tightly drawn 
up to his body, started to descend and the rigidity of his cock 
lessened.

It was only at this time that she noticed her hands were covered in 
come. Looking down, she saw that there was come on her shirt as 
well. She released his cock as she looked down at her hands 
wondering what to do with the come. Ed backed away and sat on 
the edge of the bed.

"That was the most incredible thing that I have ever seen. Thank 
you so much for letting me do that, Ed." In one session, she had 
learned more about the male sexual response than she had acquired 
in years of a sexually active life. Before Ed, she had only worried 
about her pleasure. Once she started having sex with Ed, she had 
been concerned about his pleasure, but her successes were hit or 
miss. 

Ed, relaxing on the bed, said, "That was great."

After Nora washed her hands in the sink, Ed went over and washed 
his cock. Once the bathing was complete, they dressed in clothes 
suitable for being in public. Clean and refreshed, they went to 
dinner. After dinner, they watched television for an hour before 
going to sleep. 

Ed stood on the balcony of the hotel looking to the southeast. Less 
than a six-hour drive away was the Druid College. He knew that 
John, Leroy, Kelly, Linda, and Ling were all there with the kids. It 
felt like ages since all six of them had been together. He sighed, 
thinking how close he was and yet how far away they were. 

The noise of the sliding door opening interrupted his thoughts, but 
he didn't turn around. Nora said, "Your family is over there."

"Yes, they are," replied Ed as he turned to look at Nora. 

His rock-hunting partner, friend, and lover said, "I want to go on 
alone from here."

Raising an eyebrow, Ed asked, "What? Why?"

Moving to the railing of the balcony, Nora said, "I've been 
depending on other people to take care of unpleasant parts of life 
for me. I want to drive into the city where I will make my home 
alone. It's a fresh start for me and I want this."

Her words were true and he understood the sentiment behind them. 
There was once a day when she would have had a staff that would 
do everything for her. They would search out the house for her, 
take care of her car insurance, and other day to day activities that 
consumed time. She was leaving that life behind. 

There was nothing he could say or do to contradict her desire. 
Nodding his head, "I can understand that. Are you sure?"

"Very," replied Nora knowing that she couldn't lie to Ed without 
him knowing it. She added, "I'll admit that I'm a little scared, but 
that is natural."

"Okay," answered Ed as he looked at Nora. The pleasure that he 
felt in her decision grew from two sources. First, she was growing 
up and learning to be the best that she could be. Second, he was 
going to visit his family. Smiling, he said, "Go when you are ready 
to go, I'll rent a car and drive down to my family."

Ed turned to look at the surrounding area, noticing in the crisp 
winter air that things had achieved a far sharper appearance than in 
the humid summer air. From his current vantage point above the 
ground, much more sky was available to the observer and he could 
see much further than he expected. Nora moved behind him and 
rested her head on his back with her hands on his shoulders. She 
said, "I love you, Ed Biggers."

"I love you too, Nora Turner," replied Ed. They both meant it, but 
not in the way that others would use the term. They cared for each 
other, made love to each other, and wanted the best for each other. 
They did not want to own each other. Nora understood his 
marriage and he understood that she wouldn't join it. 

"I've never met anyone that was loved by so many people. Men 
and women love you."

This wasn't the first time that Ed had been told that he was loved 
by a lot of people. It still surprised him when someone said that to 
him. He knew that if a person is asked the same question three 
times, then they should come up with a stock answer. What does 
one do when presented with the same surprising statement more 
than three times? He didn't know, but suspected that he should 
come up with some sort of answer. "I don't know what to say about 
that. I don't think I'm special. Anyone can be loved by as many 
people that know them."

Smiling, Nora returned to the room to get packed as she thought 
about how modest Ed was about his effect on others. She had 
learned from Ed how to travel without unpacking every suitcase so 
it didn't take her long to get ready to leave. When she came out of 
the room, she found that Ed had stacked her suitcases by the door. 
Looking at them and then at Ed, her heart began to pound while 
tears pooled in her eyes. Hugging him, she cried, "I'm going to 
miss you."

"I know, but you're going to be very busy over the next few 
months. Once things settle down, you can come visit me. Besides, 
you never know who might drop by while you are unpacking," 
replied Ed as he hugged her back. He was already trying to think of 
a housewarming present that would be appropriate for a fellow 
rock hound.  

Breaking the hug, Nora went to the door and opened it. Grabbing 
the lighter suitcase, she waited for Ed to carry her other bag. Ed 
followed and picked up the heavier suitcase. In less than five 
minutes, he was left in the parking lot watching her drive away. 

Renting a car was far more difficult prospect than Ed had 
considered when he had watched Nora drive off to face her future. 
The nearest car rental place was thirty miles away and there wasn't 
a taxi company in the town. He was faced with a question as to 
how to reach the rental place. Grabbing his saddlebag, he checked 
out of the hotel and walked into the center of town. Once there, he 
looked around at the places of business around the center of town. 
There was a local restaurant, police station, a couple of clothing 
stores, bar, and other places common in a small town. 

The restaurant was the same place that he had eaten dinner the 
night before and it was a nice friendly place. It was the most likely 
place in town to find someone going in his direction. People would 
come and go through the day. It made sense that a few of them 
would be driving to nearby towns after eating. He wandered across 
the street to the front door. 

Entering, he looked around at the few people in the room. He 
should have come earlier in the day, when most of the folks would 
be around before heading off to work. He followed the waitress to 
a table. Once there, he set his saddlebag on one of the chairs and 
sat down in another. Accepting the menu from her, he said, "Could 
I ask a favor of you?"

"What?" The woman answered, fully expecting him to request a 
different table.

"Would you mind asking around to find out if anyone is headed 
out of town? I need a ride," answered Ed. 

"I'll see," replied the waitress rather doubtfully. Worn blue jeans, a 
work shirt, cowboy boots, and a cowboy hat suggested that he was 
a long way from home. She wondered who this guy was and what 
was his story.  Probably a homeless drifter, he'd walk off without 
paying his bill. "Would you like some coffee?"

"Sure, that would be great," answered Ed. He took off his hat and 
set it on the saddlebag where it wouldn't get dirty and would be out 
of the way. 

The waitress returned after a couple of minutes with a cup of 
coffee. As she set it down in front of him, she asked, "Did you 
decide on what you wanted to order?"

"Yes, ma'am. I'll have two eggs scrambled with biscuits and 
gravy."

"Okay," replied the waitress. She glanced at the door as though she 
expected someone to arrive any minute. Finished writing the order 
down on the pad, she said, "I'll put this order in now."

Her words ripped through Ed as she was clearly lying about 
putting in his order. He was about to ask why when a policeman 
came into the restaurant. The look of relief on her face told the 
entire story. Reaching into his back pocket, Ed pulled out his 
wallet figuring that he might as well have his identification ready. 
Smiling, Ed said, "Bring another cup of coffee for the officer."

His request startled the waitress. She backed away from the table 
relieved when the officer took her place. The officer was about to 
say something when Ed flipped open his wallet showing his IRS 
identification. With a grin, Ed said, "Have a seat officer. I ordered 
a cup of coffee for you."

The officer looked over at the waitress and nodded his head to let 
her know that everything was under control. He sat down across 
from Ed and said, "Not often that we get an IRS agent trying to 
hitch a ride out of town."

Ed laughed at the comment as he shook his head. "I was traveling 
with a woman and she went on to her destination while I'm going 
on to mine. I didn't realize there wasn't a car rental place around 
here."

Still suspicious, the officer asked, "So where are you going?"

"Down to the Druid College to meet up with my family," answered 
Ed.

Everything sounded just a little too weird to believe. The waitress 
came over to the table and set down a cup of coffee in front of the 
officer. She backed away from the table wondering if she should 
put the order in for the cook to make. The officer looked at Ed and 
said, "That's a very interesting story. Let's see. We have a cowboy 
with IRS identification wanting to go visit his family at the Druid 
College. Have I got that right?"

"Yes, I would say that is the short version of the story," replied Ed. 

"Well, I don't believe it," answered the policeman. Sitting back in 
the chair with his hand on his gun, he said, "It looks to me like we 
have an indigent with stolen identification making up a story about 
going to that Druid College."

Ed picked up his cup of coffee and took a sip as he considered the 
officer across from him. The man didn't believe him for a minute 
and he didn't think there was anything that he could say that would 
change his mind. It was time for others to speak on his behalf. He 
pulled out his cell phone out of his shirt pocket and hit the speed 
dial to the Druid College. As the number was ringing, he handed 
the phone to the policeman saying, "Ask them yourself."

The officer put the phone to his ear and waited for the phone to be 
answered. While the officer was occupied with the phone call, Ed 
gestured the waitress over and said, "You can put my order in 
now."

She looked at the officer talking on the cell phone. His face had 
turned pale as a result of what he was hearing on the other end. She 
went and submitted the order deciding that she would eat it herself 
if worse came to worse. In the mean time, Ed listened to this end of 
the telephone conversation. The officer kept answering, "yes, sir."

After several minutes, he handed the phone to Ed as he said, "John 
Carter wants to talk to you."

Ed held up the phone and said, "Hey, John."

"Ed, what are you doing trying to hitch rides?" There was a hint of 
amusement in his voice as he asked the question. 

"I thought I would surprise you with an unannounced visit," 
replied Ed.

John said, "A certain Colonel wants to talk to you. Maybe if you 
were to give him a call you could get a ride on that helicopter of 
his."

"Don't tell me, they need someone interrogated," complained Ed. 

"He wouldn't say," replied John. There was a noise in the 
background that sounded like one of the kids knocking over 
something. John said, "Figure out a way to get home. I've got to 
go."

"Bye, John," said Ed. He ended the call and hit the speed dial for 
Colonel Grey. The Colonel would not say why he wanted to see 
Ed, but was very insistent upon it. After a minute of conversation, 
he had a helicopter ride arranged. 

Ending the call, he turned his attention to the officer and said, 
"Good news, I have a ride coming to pick me up."

"You didn't say that you were a Druid," said the officer. He looked 
at what Ed was wearing and wondered why he wasn't in the robes 
they wore when on television. 

As though reading his mind, Ed said, "My robe is in the saddlebag. 
I'm on vacation and I only wear it when I'm working."

The discussion was interrupted when the waitress showed up with 
his breakfast. Ed looked over and asked, "Care for a little 
something to eat?"

"No, thank you." 

Shrugging, Ed looked at his plate and added salt and pepper to the 
scrambled eggs. There weren't too many things that one could do 
to ruin scrambled eggs, but some folks managed anyway. He tasted 
the biscuit and gravy, slowly chewing as he took in the flavor. The 
sausage gravy had real chunks of sausage in it. Looking up at the 
officer, he said, "Not bad. One of my favorite southern breakfast 
foods is biscuits and gravy. I haven't gotten used to grits yet, but 
one day I'm sure I'll develop a taste for it."

"Can I ask something?"

Smiling, Ed answered, "You can ask several somethings if you 
want."

"Why didn't you come over to our office to get a ride?"

Ed took a bit of the eggs and chewed as he thought of the answer. 
It was a good question and deserved a good answer. Swallowing, 
he said, "I thought I'd rather meet some more people on this trip. 
Getting a ride from someone would give me a chance to learn more 
about life in this part of the country. Besides, I hate using my 
credentials to get favors from other law enforcement people."

Ed took another bite of his food and looked around the room. A 
few people were staring at him, noticing the sudden change in 
body language of the policeman. Glancing over at the name plate 
on the officer's uniform, Ed said, "Officer Givens, you might want 
to warn the school that they can expect a helicopter to be landing 
on the property in about thirty minutes."

The statement startled the officer and he reached for his radio. 
After a minute of discussion with the dispatcher, he asked, "What 
kind of helicopter?"

"An Army Black Hawk, I would imagine." The last two times that 
Colonel Grey had come to get him it had been in that kind of 
helicopter. 

The officer returned to his radio forwarding the information to the 
dispatcher. He knew that a couple of officers would get sent over 
to the school just to keep order. The day had started with rumors 
that Nora Turner was in town last night and that had been the most 
exciting thing that he could imagine happening in this place. Now 
he had one of the most important Druids in the country eating 
breakfast across the table from him. In just a while, they'd have a 
military helicopter land at the school. He figured that he would be 
approaching retirement before the town saw another day this 
exciting.

Ed had finished his breakfast and was watching the officer across 
from him. With a smile, he asked, "I take it you don't have things 
like this happen every day."

"You can say that again. So where are you supposed to meet the 
helicopter?"

"The Colonel is coming here. We'll probably walk back to the 
helicopter."

Ed signaled the waitress for refills on the coffee. Still nervous, she 
came to the table carrying the pot and looked at the policeman. 
Officer Givens said, "Relax. He's got a ride coming to get him."

"We're expecting one more person who will definitely have 
coffee," said Ed. He also realized that he would probably need to 
change into his robe so that he would be ready to go when the 
Colonel arrived. He searched through his saddlebag for a minute 
before finding his robe. Winking at the officer, he said, "I better 
get dressed for work."

"Sure." Once Ed was gone, the waitress came over to the table and 
talked to the officer learning the identity of her customer. Her 
embarrassment at having called the police to report that one of the 
most powerful men in the country was a vagrant colored her face a 
bright red. 

Ed returned to the dining room after having pissed and changed his 
clothes. His arrival was met with stares from everyone in the room. 
He had gone from suspicious character to a celebrity 
instantaneously. Walking over to his table, all eyes followed his 
every movement. 

The time passed in its measured fashion before the Colonel, 
wearing his dress uniform, arrived at the restaurant. Entering, he 
found that all eyes turned to watch him move across the room to 
where Ed sat at a table with a policeman. Marching on parade was 
a lot less discomforting than having an entire roomful of people 
watching your every move. The Colonel felt like everyone was 
waiting for him to trip and fall. Instead, his movements became 
even more military and rigid. Reaching the table, he said, "We are 
going to have to stop meeting in restaurants."

Ed laughed at the comment and pointed to an empty chair at the 
table where a cup of coffee was waiting. The Colonel sat down 
between Ed and the Officer Givens. Ed asked, "So why were you 
looking for me and why didn't you call?"

Colonel Grey answered, "Well, this is nothing time critical, so I 
didn't bother tracking you down. I know your secretary would have 
been able to give me your location in about twenty minutes."

"That tells me why you didn't call. It still doesn't answer the 
question about why you were looking for me," replied Ed.

"I wanted you to participate in a little ceremony that we are 
having," answered the Colonel.

The reason made Ed very suspicious. He recalled the occasion 
when John was tricked into attending a FBI ceremony where he 
was given the Congressional Medal Of Valor. He asked, "What 
kind of ceremony?"

Leaning towards Ed, a smile came to the Colonel's face as he said, 
"A certain Colonel is getting promoted to General."

Extending a hand, Ed said, "Congratulations. You've done a lot for 
this country."

The Colonel took Ed's hand and shook it, pleased that he was able 
to hide major elements of the ceremony. He said, "Without your 
help, we would never have captured so many terrorists and foiled 
that many plots against this country."

The officer was listening to the conversation with wide eyes. He 
couldn't believe that anyone would delay his own promotion to 
General just so another person could attend. That was not as 
surprising to find out that Ed had been instrumental in capturing 
terrorists. Ed asked, "So where is this ceremony taking place?"

"We're going to the White House. The President, the Secretary of 
Defense, and the Director of the Central Intelligence Agency, and 
the Acting Secretary of the Army will be present."

"It will be a private affair," said the Colonel. He picked up the cup 
of coffee and finished it off in one gulp. Once the coffee was 
finished, he said, "We better get going. We're flying to the pad at 
the Pentagon where a car will take us across the river to the White 
House."

It was a few minutes before lunch when Ed and the Colonel arrived 
at the White House. They were taken to a waiting room outside the 
Oval Office. A number of people were standing around waiting to 
see the President. He recognized the Secretary of Defense, but 
didn't know any of the others. His arrival was met with silence as 
each person in the room examined him. Ed turned to the Colonel 
and said, "This is my first time here in the White House. I've been 
invited hundreds of times, but never took up the offer."

From behind him, a voice said, "Yes, I know. Amazing that it takes 
the promotion of a friend of yours to get you here."

Ed turned around to find the President standing behind him. With a 
casualness that was probably rare in the circumstances, Ed said, 
"Howdy, Mr. President."

The President guided Ed and Colonel Grey into the Oval Office. 
On the edge of the desk were a number of small boxes. As the 
others that had been waiting outside lined up beside the President, 
Ed wondered where he was supposed to stand. He took a position 
off the to side and waited for the show to begin. 

The President picked up one of the boxes and said, "This is one of 
the few privileges of my job that I really enjoy. Promoting and 
honoring men that have given service to this country that extends 
above and beyond the call of duty. Colonel Grey, it is with great 
pleasure that I promote you to the rank of General."

Colonel Grey stood at attention as the President removed the 
insignia of his previous rank. Single stars replaced the insignia. 
Once the President had stepped back, General Grey saluted his 
Commander In Chief. The President returned the salute before 
reaching back and picking up another box. He said, "A few months 
ago, under heavy fire, you brought down one of the largest plots 
against this country conceived by terrorists. For that action, it is 
my pleasure to award you with the Intelligence Star."

Rather than placing the medal around his neck, he pinned the 
ribbon onto General Grey's uniform. This was one of the few 
medals of honor given within the CIA. When the President stepped 
back, the General executed a very sharp salute, which was 
immediately returned by the President. 

Ed had watched the ceremony with pleasure. It was nice to see that 
the hard work of General Grey was being given the recognition 
that it deserved. He was about to step forward to give his 
congratulations when the President turned and picked up another 
box. Ed was impressed that his friend was getting so awards for his 
work. 

With a grin, the President said, "Occasionally someone provides 
services that are above and beyond the call of duty. On several 
occasions, one particular individual has provided his unique skills 
to perform an extremely valuable service for this nation. This, the 
Distinguished Intelligence Medal, is given for performance of 
outstanding services or for an achievement of a distinctly 
exceptional nature in a duty or responsibility. It gives me great 
pleasure to present this award to Ed Biggers."

A sinking feeling had crept into Ed's stomach as the President had 
started his speech that this medal wasn't going to General Grey. As 
the President was about to remove the medal from the case to put 
around Ed's neck, Ed held out his hand. After looking at the 
medallion already around Ed's neck, the President handed him the 
box without any further action. This was not the first time that a 
Druid had let it be known they would rather not have a medallion 
placed around their neck. Ed replied, "Thank you, Mr. President."

After the ceremony, the men retired to lunch with the President. Ed 
looked at the surroundings, more than a little impressed to be in the 
White House. It wasn't that Ed and John didn't have that same 
sense of wonder at this seat of power, but that they tried to distance 
themselves from the political process. It was better to work with 
those that had long-term positions of influence rather than 
individuals that had fleeting responsibilities. John had referred to it 
as advising the advisors. 

As they gathered around the table, General Grey said, "So you 
finally made it to the White House."

Nodding at the obviousness of the statement, Ed replied, "Yes, I 
did."

The Chef came out as the soup course was served. The President 
looked over at the Chef surprised by his presence in the room. 
After a bowl of soup was ladled out for Ed, the Chef stepped 
forward holding a clean can in his hand. With a twisted smile, the 
Chef said, "Dr. Biggers. Marguerite said that you prefer your soup 
with can."

Ed turned to stare at the Chef for a moment and then burst out 
laughing. He roared and slapped his thigh as he laughed. The 
others around the table stared in shock, first at the Chef for 
interrupting the lunch and then at Ed for his reaction. After two 
minutes, Ed finally achieved sufficient control to reply. "No can 
today. How is it that you know Marguerite?"

The Chef smiled as he answered, "We went to school together. 
When she heard that you were coming here and might have lunch, 
she gave me a call."

"I'm going to have to get even with her on that one." Ed turned to 
the others in the room and explained, "Our Chef, Marguerite, used 
this opportunity to play a rather funny joke on me. I happen to like 
certain canned soups, a fact that bothers her tremendously. Of 
course, I tease her that all of her soups come out of a can. Since 
then, she occasionally serves me soup with a can placed in the 
bowl."

At the nods among the men gathered there, Ed turned his attention 
to the soup. The Chef watched Ed as he looked at the soup, 
smelled it, and then filled a spoon. Totally involved in tasting the 
soup, Ed had his eyes closed as he slid the spoon into his mouth. 
The Chef was leaning forward in anticipation. Nodding, Ed looked 
over at the Chef and said, "Very good. Outstanding."

The Chef relaxed and returned to the kitchen. The others around 
the table had watched the passion with which Ed had approached 
the food. The Secretary of State remarked, "I've never seen 
anything like that in my life."

Ed looked up and winked as he said, "Marguerite would have 
served the soup with the can in it."








