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

JC: Ed Biggers
Part 1: Epiphany
Chapter 9
By
Lazlo Zalezac
Copyright (C) Lazlo Zalezac, 2004

It takes more than an hour to buy a suit, usually two days if the 
place has any volume at all. When it is necessary to get clothes for 
a funeral in a hurry, the only option is to purchase dress pants and 
a sports coat. Add a tie and a new shirt, then it is possible to show 
up at a funeral and look halfway descent. Wandering alone and lost 
in a shopping mall, Ed had no clue what he was doing or where to 
go. There were so many stores here carrying all different kinds of 
things that he was clueless. The stores closed at nine and wouldn't 
open until it was too late to buy anything in time for the funeral. 

Frustrated, Ed spotted an elderly woman dressed in sweat pants, 
sweat shirt, and sneakers walking through the mall. He approached 
her and said, "Excuse me, ma'am. I'm hoping that you can help 
me."

Expecting this to be some kind of con, the woman asked, "What do 
you need?"

Breathing a sigh of relief, Ed answered, "I have a funeral to attend 
tomorrow morning and I need to buy appropriate clothes. Can you 
tell me where I should go and what I should ask for?"

The request was far from anything the woman had expected. She 
stepped back trying to figure out how he was going to rip her off 
with that kind of come-on line. She pointed to a department store 
and said, "Go in there and ask for directions to the men's 
department. They'll have a sales staff that will help you."

"Thank you," replied Ed overjoyed at having found a direction to 
head. Turning without waiting for a welcome, he headed towards 
the store. When he hit the entrance, he came to a screeching halt as 
a chaotic scene of women's perfumes, cosmetics, and clothes 
overwhelmed him. Open mouthed, he stared into the store.

A tugging upon his shirt sleeve caught his attention. The elderly 
woman stood next to him and asked, "Is this your first time in a 
mall?"

"Yes," replied Ed. He looked around and answered, "I've never 
seen anything like this."

Smiling, she said, "Follow me young man and I'll take you to 
where you need to go."

Obedient as a loyal hound dog, Ed followed the woman through 
the maze of counters, aisles, and displays. Every twist and turn 
opened up more sights than Ed had never seen in a single store. He 
kept saying, "This is amazing. It's so big."

It didn't take long before they were standing in front of the men's 
department. Rows of suit coats, pants, and displays of shirts 
overwhelmed him. Looking around for a salesman, he didn't spot 
one. The woman watched Ed, enjoying the reaction of the man as 
he tried to make sense of the scene in front of him. She said, "We'll 
have to get you some dress pants and a sports coat. If you want a 
suit, they'll have to go to a tailor to be adjusted and that will take 
too long."

"Tailor?" asked Ed. His face all scrunched up, he asked, "Aren't 
the clothes finished here?"

The old woman laughed and pulled him down an isle. Pulling out a 
pair of dark blue pants from the rack, she held them up to him. She 
asked, "Do you know what size you are?"

"Is it the same as jeans?"

"Yes, it is," replied the woman. 

He thought about it for a second and said, "34, 34."

She flipped through the pants on the rack until she found a pair the 
right size. She handed it to him and said, "Go try it on."

He looked at her for a second and then asked, "Right here in the 
store?"

Laughing, she pointed to the corner and said, "There's a dressing 
room over there."

Ed went to where she pointed out and found a couple of rooms. 
Entering, he sat on the little chair and pulled off his boots and 
jeans. Putting on the pants, he found that they fit pretty well. 
Trying to put on his boots, he found that they didn't fit under the 
pants legs. He took them off and put his jeans and boots back on. 

When he came out of the dressing room, the woman was waiting 
for him with a coat. She asked, "Well, let me see them."

He frowned and said, "They're too narrow at the bottoms."

"Turn around."

Puzzled, Ed turned around slowly. He asked, "What am I doing?"

Confused, the woman said, "I don't see why they should be too 
narrow around your bottom. You don't have a big butt."

Ed laughed aloud before he answered her unspoken question, "I 
mean at the bottom of the pants. I can't put my boots on."

Realizing the mistake she had made, she laughed and clapped her 
hands. She said, "I feel so foolish, but you really shouldn't wear 
boots to a funeral."

Thinking about it, Ed realized that he had no idea what was 
appropriate. He said, "I leave myself in your hands."

With nothing better to do that evening, the woman smile and 
replied, "Okay. We'll do what we can in the time we have. What is 
your budget?"

Ed thought about it for a minute trying to figure out how much the 
clothes should cost. After totaling it up in his head, he said, "Let's 
say four hundred."

Knowing now that he had money, she relaxed satisfied that he 
wouldn't be asking for a handout. She said, "We won't spend that 
much. It's a waste of money to buy things that you'll only use 
once."

Relaxing, Ed said, "Thanks. I appreciate it."

"Now get back in there and put on those pants. Don't put on your 
boots. I want to see how they fit."

"Yes, ma'am," replied Ed. He said, "By the way, I'm Ed Biggers. I 
really appreciate you helping me."

The woman replied, "I'm Marge Anderson. I'm pleased to meet you 
Ed."

In the changing room, Ed undressed again and put on the pants. He 
stepped out and stood in front of Marge. Looking over the pants 
very carefully, she pursed her lips and said, "We could do better on 
the fit, but the color is what you need."

Ed asked, "What's wrong with the fit?"

"The pockets stick out a bit," she relied. After making some 
humming noises, she held up sports coat. She said, "Try this on."

He tried it on, amazed at how well it fit. Going over to the mirror, 
he looked at himself rather pleased with the effect. The pockets 
weren't that noticeable and he'd only wear them once. He said, "I 
like it. What else do I need?"

She said, "Get dressed in your regular clothes. We'll pick out a nice 
simple shirt, tie, belt, and shoes."

Changing clothes in the dressing room, Ed paused to consider what 
he was doing. There had to be some way to thank this lady for all 
of her trouble. Fully dressed, he exited the changing room and 
followed her to the shirts. Holding up a light blue shirt, she asked, 
"Do you like the color?"

"It's fine. Shouldn't I be wearing a white shirt, though?"

Marge shook her head and said, "Not always. It would make you 
look like a waiter. I think you'll look better in a blue shirt."

Shrugging his shoulders, Ed accepted her assessment not having 
any experience to argue. She went over to the tie rack and started 
looking through the ties. Just looking at the ties filled Ed with 
dread as he thought about having to tie them. Hands flicking 
through the ties, she rejected thirty before finding one that she 
liked. She held it up to the blue shirt and the sport coat comparing 
the colors. It went back on the rack as her fingers worked through 
another dozen. She looked at that one, held it up to the shirt and the 
sports coat. Smiling, she held it up for him to examine. She asked, 
"What do you think of this one?"

Slightly embarrassed at his ignorance in dressing up, he 
remembered the clip on tie that he had as a kid. Ed asked, "Do they 
have it in a clip on?"

Laughing, Marge replied, "I'm sure that a handsome young man 
like yourself will have no trouble finding a young lady that would 
be willing to tie it for you."

That was a possibility that he hadn't considered. It was more than 
likely that Kelly would know how to tie it for him. He blushed and 
said, "Maybe my girlfriend can do that."

The woman looked at him sharply, suspicions aroused. She asked, 
"Why isn't she helping you shop?"

The pity on Ed's face was hard to miss. He answered, "She's 
watching over a friend of ours that is very upset about the funeral 
tomorrow. She was very close to John's girlfriend and is basically 
inconsolable."

For a second she stared at him as the hairs rose on her neck. She 
wondered, discounted the possibility, and then asked, "What is 
John's last name?"

"John Carter."

The color slowly drained from her face as she looked at Ed. This 
was news that she had not heard. She asked, "Betsy died?"

The look on her face and the fact that she knew Betsy's name told 
Ed everything that he needed to know. This was not the way for a 
friend to find out. Leading her over to a chair, he let her sit down. 
Kneeling next to her, he said, "Yes, ma'am. I'm afraid so."

"Poor John. Betsy was so young and they really loved each other."

Ed said, "I'm so sorry. I didn't know that you knew John or I would 
have found a better way to let you know."

Patting him on the arm, she replied, "Don't be sorry. There was no 
way for you to know that. John saved my life one time and I got to 
know them both."

Feeling awkward about the situation, Ed said, "He saved my life 
too."

Summoning a weak smile, Marge said, "Enough of this depressing 
talk. Let's pay for this stuff and get you over to the shoes."

A very bored young man stood behind the register, glancing 
frequently at his watch wishing for closing time. Setting his 
purchases on the counter, the man went through them one at a time 
with perfunctory motions. Ed stood there nearly boiling over as he 
watched the time approach closing and he still had to buy shoes. 
Even Marge was getting irritated at the lackadaisical manner in 
which the clerk was ringing up the purchases. Finally, she said, 
"Young man, you may have a lifetime ahead of you, but I sure as 
hell don't. Get the lead out."

The unexpected nature of her comment caused Ed to break out in a 
great big grin. He winked at her and watched as the young man 
started moving a little faster. Ed whipped his wallet out and handed 
over the cash as soon as a total showed up on the register. Rather 
than wait for the guy to make change, Ed swept his purchases into 
a bag and said, "Keep the change."

The two of them walked away joking about the kid behind the 
counter. The shoe department was not far and they managed to 
catch a salesman. Based on the recommendation to go with a basic 
black shoe, it didn't take them long to find a pair that fit Ed. Marge 
went over and looked at the some of the gifts for men while Ed 
paid. Leaning over, he quietly asked the man if it was possible to 
buy a gift for the woman without her knowing it. He suggested that 
Ed purchase a gift certificate from the store and at a nod from Ed 
added a fifty dollar gift certificate to the price of the shoes.

Marge led him back out of the store to where they had met. 
Handing her an envelope, Ed said, "Thank you so much Mrs. 
Anderson for all of the help. I really appreciate it."

Marge said, "Any friend of John's is a friend of mine."

Nodding, Ed said, "That makes you a very rich woman."

She smiled and said, "Thanks. I'll see you tomorrow."

Ed asked, "You will?"

"I'm going to the funeral." After they had exchanged parting good 
wishes, Ed walked down the mall in search of the entrance he had 
used to get in the mall. Marge opened the envelope and saw the 
gift certificate. To no one in particular, she said, "Such a nice boy."

Sleeping alone in his hotel room, Ed woke to the incessant ringing 
of the telephone. Despite the fact that it was right next to his bed, it 
took him several additional rings to locate it. He picked it up and 
mumbled, "Hello."

The sexy voice on the other end said, "Time to get up, cowboy."

Ed mumbled back, "If the body is half as sexy as the voice, I think 
my girlfriend is going to get angry with me because I couldn't 
resist the temptation to do all kinds of nasty things to the owner of 
that body."

Laughing, Kelly said, "Get up and get over here. I've got coffee 
and breakfast for you."

After hanging up, Ed stumbled over to the bathroom and washed 
his face hoping that it would allow him to wake up faster. Out of 
habit, he dressed in his normal jeans and work shirt before heading 
to the room occupied by the women. Initially he had been upset 
that they couldn't get a connecting room, but after the long trip 
here and the night of shopping he was happy to crawl into bed for a 
good nights sleep.

Kelly answered his knock on the door and let him into the room. 
Both women were wearing nothing except their black 
undergarments. Under better circumstances, Ed would have 
screamed for joy and chased them both around the room. As it was, 
his cock was the only thing that reacted to the sight. He looked at 
Beth and could see that her condition had not improved; she was 
still sitting there staring off into space. 

Kelly looked at him and frowned. She asked, "Didn't you get 
clothes last night?"

"Yes, I did. I thought I would get dressed after breakfast," replied 
Ed. He added, "I may need some help, though."

Exhausted from dealing with an emotional basket case, she did not 
want to hear either statement. She had hoped that Ed would take 
care of Beth once she had gotten her dressed. The last thing she 
wanted to hear was a demand for more of her time. She swore, 
"Damn, I need a little help here."

The reaction was a lot different than Ed had expected. He replied, 
"Kelly, I'll help all that I can. What can I do for you?"

Kelly answered, "You can take her off my hands for an hour while 
I get dressed."

In as affable of a manner as he could muster, Ed said, "No 
problem. We'll get her dressed and I'll watch over her while I'm 
dressing. I have to put on pants and shirt. I don't have to worry 
about makeup or anything. Is there anything else I can do for you?"

"No, you're doing all you can," replied Kelly. The poor guy was 
way out of his league in dealing with emotional women. She knew 
it and he knew it, but he was doing the best that he could. There 
were times when she wanted to wrap herself around him and never 
let go. This was one of those times. She said, "I do appreciate 
everything you're doing."

Deciding that she needed a little support this morning, Ed went 
over to her and wrapped his arms around her. He loved her so 
much and this was so hard for her. No one should have to go 
through something like this alone. The hug released an emotional 
dam inside Kelly and she began to cry. That caused Beth to start 
crying as well. Looking over Kelly's shoulder, Ed said, "Slave, 
assume standing position one."

Beth stood and locked her arms behind her back with her legs 
parted. Ignoring the obvious erotic appeal of the nearly naked 
woman standing in such an accessible position, Ed focused on 
Kelly and her needs. Kelly leaned back and asked, "What did I do 
to deserve you?"

Ed joked, "It must have been something pretty bad."

The joke released as much tension as the hug. She laughed and 
stepped away as she wiped the tears from her eyes and cheeks. She 
said, "We better eat breakfast before it gets too late."

Ed ordered, "Slave, sit on a chair at the table and eat your 
breakfast."

As Beth complied, Ed and Kelly went to the smallish table to eat 
their breakfast. One glance at the food on the table, it was clear 
which breakfast was intended for him. There were two plates of 
fresh fruit and one plate with eggs, bacon, and hash browns. After 
drinking two cups of coffee, Ed finally felt fully awake. 

After the breakfast was over, Kelly ordered Beth to get dressed. 
She had to issue the commands to don one item of clothing at a 
time. Once that was done, she put the makeup on Beth as a much 
easier solution than ordering her through each step. Ed watched the 
kindness with which Kelly took care of the other woman. Few 
people could ever expect to be treated so nicely in her state of 
mind. 

When Kelly was finished,  Ed kissed her and then said, "Slave, 
follow me."

Beth followed him to his room without complaint or comment. 
Once in the room, Ed tried to figure out what to do with her. He 
ordered, "Slave, sit on the edge of the bed."

Following his directions exactly, she sat on the edge of the bed. Ed 
quickly removed his shirt and pants, putting on pants from the 
store. Once it was on, he realized that he had failed to remove the 
tags. He ordered, "Slave, come here and remove the labels from 
my pants."

With a delicate touch, she removed each label making sure that all 
traces of it were completely removed. Ed stood still, letting her 
work wondering if keeping her busy was a good form of therapy. 
When she had finished, he ordered, "Slave bring the shirt in the 
package to me."

Beth retrieved the shirt for him and stood next to him waiting for 
her next orders. Ed opened the shirt package and groaned when he 
found all of the pins holding the shirt in shape. He handed the shirt 
to Beth and ordered, "Slave, I want you to remove all of the pins 
from this shirt. Put each pin in the trashcan."

As he turned to watch, she went to the trashcan. Standing over it, 
she removed a pin and then set it in the trashcan before going on to 
remove the next pin. It pleased him that he was able to give her 
complex commands and occupy her in that fashion. He couldn't 
help but wonder what she was thinking while doing these 
meaningless tasks. As a medical doctor, she could hire five guys 
like him to take care of her yard.

While she was busy with the shirt, he went to the shoe box and 
removed the new shoes. Sitting on the edge of the bed where he 
could watch Beth, he put on his new shoes. He hoped that they 
wouldn't kill his feet before the end of the day. He reached into the 
bag and removed the belt. Threading it through the loops, he 
fastened it and then realized that he had missed the loop in the 
back. Fixing that minor problem, he fastened it a second time. 

When he had finished putting on the belt, he glanced at Beth and 
saw that she was just standing by the trashcan. He ordered, "Bring 
me the shirt, slave."

She brought the shirt over to him. Taking it from her, he put it on. 
He had to undo his pants to tuck in the shirt. Once he was fully 
clothed, he ordered, "Slave, bring me the tie in the bag over there."

While she searched for the tie, he put on the sport coat. Once 
again, there were tags hanging off it. When Beth brought the tie 
over, he took the tie from her. He asked, "Slave, do you know how 
to tie a tie?"

A shudder went through Beth and then she answered, "Yes, 
master."

Handing her the tie, he ordered, "Slave, put the tie on me."

For a full minute, she looked animated as she adjusted his collar 
while tucking the tie under it. With deft movements, she tied it into 
a double Windsor and adjusted the knot so that it was centered in 
the collar. She buttoned the tiny buttons of the collar and then 
stepped back. Her face immediately went slack.

Ed ordered, "Slave, remove the labels from the sport coat."

As Beth went to work on that task, Ed considered what to do next. 
He decided that it was time to perform a little question and answer 
session. When Beth finished removing the tags, he went to the 
mirror in the room and looked at himself. He couldn't believe the 
image reflected back at him. He doubted that anyone could 
imagine that he was a cowboy dressed like this. A little fantasy 
image of being mistaken for a business man flashed through his 
mind causing him to chuckle.

He turned to face Beth and ordered, "Slave, sit on the chair and 
answer my questions truthfully and honestly."

While not realizing that his words had triggered something deep 
within her, she immediately complied. He asked, "What you think 
about being ordered around like this."

In a monotone, Beth replied, "It is better than crying or doing 
nothing."

That answer surprised him, but it did give him a chance to explore 
an idea that was slowly developing. He asked, "Can you handle 
complex commands?"

"I'd rather not think."

That answer caused Ed to think about what he could order that 
would allow them a little break from having to watch over her the 
whole day. The funeral was going to be tough enough for Kelly 
and him without having to baby sit Beth the entire time. He 
ordered, "Slave, do you know the shadow command?"

"No master."

Smiling, Ed said, "When Kelly or I give the command shadow, 
you are to stay beside the one that gave the command and do as 
they do. If they sit, you will sit. If they stand, you will stand. If 
they eat, you will eat. You are to act like their shadow. Do you 
understand?"

"Yes, master." The dull monotone of her voice struck him like 
daggers, wounding him with each word that she spoke.

He didn't know if that command would work as he hoped, but it 
might make it easier to navigate through the events of the day. 
Looking at the clock, he realized that it would be another fifteen 
minutes before Kelly would be ready to leave. To occupy the time, 
he decided to ask Beth a few more questions. He asked, "Is there 
anything that you do not want us to order you to do?"

"No sex."

Since he didn't feel like making love to a zombie, that wasn't an 
issue. He asked, "Is there anything else you do not want us to order 
you to do?"

"Nothing else master."

"Is there anything that you need us to do for you?"

For a minute, she didn't say a word and then very softly said, 
"Command me and take care of me so that I don't have to think."

It was a very quiet plea that he couldn't ignore. There was one 
question that he had to ask and he hoped that answer was a good 
one. "Can you be a physician and work?"

The silence lasted so long that Ed was afraid that he had lost her 
for good. Just as he was about to order her to straighten the room, 
she answered, "Yes, I can work at the hospital."

He breathed a sigh of relief. At least she wouldn't have to quit 
working until she regained her emotional stability. Of course, that 
depended on whether Kelly thought that she could handle the stress 
of the job. At least there was a chance that things could settle 
down.

He watched as Beth sat in the chair staring into space. Having run 
out of questions to ask, he wondered how to occupy the next few 
minutes. Saved from a long dull time spent staring at each other by 
a knock on the door, he ordered, "Slave, answer the door and invite 
the person in."

Beth went to the door and opened it. A very surprised Kelly stood 
looking at her as Beth said, "Please come in."

Kelly entered the room and turned to look at Beth still standing by 
the door. Ed said, "Slave, close the door and return to the chair."

Looking at Ed with a little distrust, she asked, "What did you do 
while I was dressing?"

"We had a short talk. You and I can talk about it later, but for now 
we need to head to the funeral," replied Ed. 

The large number of people present at the funeral was a huge 
shock to Ed and Kelly. It was unclear if Beth was even aware of 
how many people attended. The eulogy by John staggered Ed as it 
touched his soul in a way that no words had ever managed. He 
knew that he would be thinking about what John had said for 
weeks.

As they waited in line to give their condolences to John, a very 
well dressed elderly woman approached them. When she arrived, 
she said, "Well, who is this well dressed stranger?"

Smiling, Ed said, "How are you today, Mrs. Anderson?"

With a smile, she answered, "It's a sad day, but it is nice to see you 
all dressed up."

Watching from beside him, Kelly wondered who the woman was 
and how it was that Ed knew her. Feeling the look she was giving 
him, he knew it was time to perform introductions. He turned to 
Kelly and Beth and said, "Ladies, I would like to introduce you to 
Mrs. Anderson. She was so much help to me last night when I 
went shopping. Mrs. Anderson, I would like to introduce you to 
Kelly, my girlfriend, and Dr. Hayes, our friend."

Turning to Marge, Kelly smiled and said, "Ah, you are the heroine 
that rescued my dear Ed at the mall."

Marge laughed and answered, "You should have seen him standing 
in front of the department store, mouth wide open in shock and 
total confusion."

"Well, you did a very good job of dressing up my cowboy. He 
looks like a million dollars. I just might keep him."

As the two women talked, Ed watched Beth standing there with 
tears gently flowing down her cheeks. Hugging her in an attempt to 
comfort her, he was shocked when her whole body shuddered 
under his touch as though in revulsion. He didn't know what to do 
and backed away. 

They finally reached the family and John. When John looked up at 
them, he saw Beth hardly recognizing her. Beth, eyes swollen and 
red from crying, was devastated and cried, "John, I loved her so 
much. How could this happen? I find happiness only to have it 
wrestled away."

John hugged her wishing he could help her with her grief more. 
"Beth, you know that she loved you too. Please come by the house 
so that we have a chance to talk."

"Of course."

As he introduced her to Betsy's parents, Ed was amazed that she 
was able to function in his presence. It gave him hope that she 
would be alright. John turned to see Ed and Kelly standing in front 
of him. He greeted them, "Oh, thank you for coming."

Ed shrugged his shoulders and said, "Hey, I figured you probably 
needed us. I know that Beth needed us."

Kelly added, "She's cried ever since I told her about Betsy. I've 
been staying with her through this difficult time. I'm really worried 
about her."

John nodded his agreement at their assessment of Beth. He said, 
"That's very nice of you. I know you'll take good care of her, but 
she appears to be very fragile at the moment."

Ed nodded as he said, "We will. Kelly's been staying the night in 
the hotel room with her. Beth doesn't want to be left alone."

He introduced Ed and Kelly to Betsy's parents. Turning back, he 
was shocked to see Shirley. Standing next to her was Maria. He 
said, "My goodness. I really didn’t expect you to come."

Shirley wiped her eyes, "She was a very special woman. We only 
had a chance to talk twice, but you wouldn't believe how much she 
helped me. I had to come here for you and her both."

Maria looked away shyly, "I liked you both. I'm so sorry for your 
loss."

He hugged her and kissed her forehead. "Thank you so much for 
coming. I hope you both make it to our house." 

At the house, Ed spent most of his time watching over Beth. It 
gave Kelly a chance to talk with Shirley and Maria. She was a 
much more social animal than Ed, who was happy to sit in a corner 
watching Beth and the crowd of people mulling around. He did 
have a chance to meet Mrs. South, who he thought was a dear old 
lady. Of course, the circumstances were such that he wasn't able to 
learn much about her other than who she was.

Towards the end, John made his way over to Ed and sat down next 
to him. He glanced at Beth and shook his head at how she looked. 
It was painful to watch the doctor suffer so much. John said, 
"Thanks for taking care of her."

Shrugging as if it were nothing, Ed replied, "Most of it is Kelly, 
she's been a trooper through it all. I wish I knew what to do for 
her."

Smiling at the denial, John said, "You know. I was surprised to see 
you here, but I'm glad you came. I needed to see a friendly face."

Surprised at the statement, Ed said, "There were hundreds of 
friendly faces at the funeral. You have a lot of people that care 
about you."

John sighed and said, "Most of them are people that I've helped. 
They all seem to think of me as some kind of hero. I don't get a 
chance to just be a man around people."

"I'm sorry to say, but guilty as charged," replied Ed. It was a 
surprise to realize that John, a very good man, could be lonely. 

Laughing at the fact that Ed would admit to a little hero worship 
only convinced him further that Ed was being forthright and honest 
with him. John said, "No, with you it's different. We do get a 
chance to talk about things occasionally. I feel like you are one of 
my few friends. You've kept my past to yourself rather than spread 
it around even if would be to my advantage."

Ed was overwhelmed. 
