CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

The party left Stonehenge shortly after, then after the party got onto the mini-bus, they left the site and headed off to Amesbury in order to get some food in them.

While several of the party – Eddy in particular – didn't seem to be overly impressed by the visit, the others really enjoyed seeing that prime example of pre-historic engineering genius. Edd had taken a number of pictures with his digital camera and he had resolved to do a report on the visit for extra high school credit…

After lunching at a tearoom in Amesbury, Mr. Statorowski got everyone back into the mini-bus. He then started the drive down to Portsmouth in order to catch the ferry over to the Isle of Wight. As the Isle of Wight festival was in full swing, the route – along the A303 and M27 highways – were somewhat more crowded. Eddy noticed the more congested roads and the resulting slower headway they were making.

"Mr. S", Eddy had asked, "If everyone and their dog are going over to the festival and concert, how are we going to be able to get the mini-bus onto the ferry?"

"We're not taking the mini-bus on the ferry, Eddy", Chuck Statorowski replied, "We'll leave the mini-bus in Portsmouth and we'll hoof it onto the ferry with our overnight bags. There'll be a taxi waiting for us to take us to the inn we'll be staying at in Ventnor. Traffic is heavy, but we won't be late for the ferry".

"Still be crowded though", Eddy grumbled.

"Hey, Eddy", Lee commented, "Don't be a wet blanket. Given the big-name acts that perform at this festival, crowds are a given. Just take it as a minor inconvenience and when we get to the concert venue, we can have fun watching them perform".

"If we can get a good vantage point, that is", Eddy pointed out, "but I suppose Lindsay won't have any problem with that!"

"I'll thank you to keep my height out of it, Eddy!", Lindsay interjected. She heard clearly what Eddy had said.

"Ya gotta look at it from my perspective, Lindsay", Eddy responded, "I'm definitely gonna have problems if this is an SRO concert".

Lee was briefly annoyed at Eddy's comment about Lindsay's height, but instead of a rebuke, she decided to turn it back on him…

"Ya know, he's got a point, Lindsay", Lee pointed out with a giggle, "I suppose if worst comes to worst you could have him perched on your shoulders!"

At that, the others laughed. Even Lindsay joined in. Eddy just crossed his arms and gritted his teeth.

"Don't worry, Eddy", Mr. Statorowski assured him, "you won't have to worry. Besides, I've got back-stage passes for everyone here".

"Wow!" the teens exclaimed. That meant that Chuck Statorowski not only had the money, but the connections to make that all possible.

"So who is going to be performing there?" May wanted to know, "Come on! Keeping it a secret really bites!"

"Aw, come on, May", Ed replied, "I like surprises!"

"That's the spirit, Ed!", Mr. Statorowski explained, "I'm not going to say anything until we're there, but I assure you that you will not be disappointed. Trust me".

For his part, Edd did not join in the conversation about the upcoming festival. He was looking out the window. Marie leaned over to him and whispered in his ear:

"Hey, Dreamboat", Marie whispered, "Don't look so glum! I'm looking forward to being at this concert with you! We're going to have a great time, all right?" Edd smiled and nodded.

"Sorry, Marie", Edd replied, "I was just thinking of the cities we'll be going through. Primarily Southampton. When my great grandparents left Europe for Canada, that city was their last port of call this side of the Atlantic. I was thinking that that was an end of an era when they departed for the New World".

"I thought that passenger ships that left England back then only went to New York", Kevin said. "So how could they have ended up in Canada?"

"Not all passenger ships went to New York, Kevin", Edd replied, "My maternal great-grandparents landed in Halifax. From there, they went to Montreal".

"That explains the French name of your Mom's side of the family then", Nazz interjected, "I always wondered where the name 'Boubet' came from. You just provided me with the answer".

"Bobby?" Jonny inquired, "That don't sound French to me! It doesn't even sound like a last name, unless you count Ricky Bobby!"

Some of the teen chuckled at the reference to the film 'Talladega Knights', but Nazz looked at Johnny earnestly.

"It's spelled B-O-U-B-E-T, Johnny", Nazz replied, "Mom loves genealogy stuff and I found out about a lot of the histories of the folk in the cul-de-sac rom her".

"Well, then you can explain where the name Van Bartonschmeer came from", Johnny said, "It sounds German".

"That's what I thought too", Kevin added, "Is that correct, Doll?" he asked.

"Close, but not quite, you two", Nazz answered, "It's Dutch, actually. Close to the border with Germany on the Rhine River. The Van Bartonschmeers came from around Arnheim".

"Arnheim? That was a place in 'A Bridge too Far'. I saw that movie", Ed said, "It got blown up a lot in 1944 by the Germans after British troops parachuted in. Then again, a lot of people died that year".

"Yes, Ed. Your grandfather on your Dad's side of the family. You saw an actor play him in 'Band of Brothers', didn't you?", Edd said. Ed nodded, pulling out the photograph he had looked at during the play at the Globe theatre.

"Lieutenant Thomas Meehan", Ed said as he showed May the photo, "He was in the 101st Airborne as a paratrooper. He commanded Easy Company of the 504th regiment during the first stages of the D-Day invasion, but he was killed when his plane was hit by anti-aircraft fire. Everyone on board his plane were killed when it crashed and burned".

The last part of that comment gave Edd a pang of grief as Ed's description of his grandfather's demise reminded him of the fire that had killed his twin brother James ten years previously.

"So that's why you were looking at that photograph. Is he buried over there?" May asked Ed quietly. Ed shook his head.

"His remains were returned to the US, but one of the things that I wanna do is to look at where he and his paratroop comrades fought when we get to Normandy", Ed said.

Everyone was quiet in the mini-bus for a moment as they let those words of Ed's sink in, then Jimmy started giggling. Sarah gave him a vexed look.

"What's so funny, Jimmy?" she demanded, "Ed is talking about the death of my grandfather during the war and you're laughing about it?!"

"I'm not laughing at that, Sarah. Honest!", Jimmy replied, "but I just realized something about the names".

"Oh, like what, Jimmy?" Sarah asked sternly.

"Well, Double-Dee's great grandparent's surname is Boubet, which sounds like Bobby, Ed's grandfather's surname is Meehan, and Ed's surname is McGee. It's fortunate that neither Ed nor Edd use those surnames. Because if you put them together in a certain manner, then it's not Ed, Edd, and Eddy, but Meehan, Boubet, McGee!" Jimmy explained.

At first, the teens looked blankly at Jimmy, then Kevin laughed.

"Janice Joplin - if she was still alive – would probably sue over that pun! That song she sang: Me and Bobby McGee!", he exclaimed.

At that, the other teams got the pun and they all laughed. Even Ed, Edd, and Eddy joined in.

"I have that song on one of my records", Eddy said with a laugh, "I never thought about that at all!".

Edd looked at Jimmy, then gave him a thumbs-up and winked, who winked back. Edd realized that Jimmy knew things were stating to become maudlin. By using wordplay, Jimmy got the mood immediately lightened. Well, he knew that Jimmy was capable of pretty inspired thinking and planning. The memories of Jimmy framing the Ed's over the sabotage of that giant heart two summers ago attested to that!

"Ah, now everyone is happy again", Rolf piped in, "though this son of a shepherd wants to know if you can work my last name in a sentence. Somehow 'Xhuxha' won't fit in to one of your puns, yes?"

"Probably not, Rolf", Jimmy answered, "but I'll see what I can come up with".

"Just so long as there are no bad references to certain religions, Jimmy", Lindsay stated, "Standards can get very picky at times!". As Xhuxha sounded like 'Jew-Jar', Lindsay could immediately see that making puns from Rolf's name could get ugly…

While the others were talking about last names, Edd turned his attention back to the outside of the mini-bus. Marie was wondering what was really on his mind as his facial expression didn't seem like he was serious about seeing what Southampton looked like. She decided to try and change his thoughts.

"Ugh", Marie commented, "I'm getting a stiff neck again. Sitting in this mini-bus for any length of time does it to me. Could you give my neck and shoulders a rub, Oven Mitt?" she asked.

"Certainly, Marie. If you could please turn around for me?", Edd replied as he turned to face his girlfriend. Maree obligingly turned so that her back was to him. Ed then gently massaged her shoulders and the base of her neck. Marie sighed at Edd's expert – yet gentle – touch.

"Don't give her the Vulcan nerve pinch, Double-Dee", Ed advised in his usual dopey voice as he watched, "or else she will go unconscious and end up missing the concert…"

Ed's voice broke off as May nudged him. Ed turned to face May.

"I could use a neck rub too you know, Bub", May replied, "or would you prefer I ask Double-Dee once he's finished with Marie?", she rhetorically asked with a smile.

"Only my hands will work out the kinks from my Little May's shoulders!" Ed announced as he gestured for May to turn so that he could do to May what Edd was doing to Marie.

"Be very gentle, Ed", Edd advised his friend, "you don't know your strength at times and that part of the body is an area you can't get too rough on".

"Okie dokie, Double-Dee!", Ed said as he started massaging May's shoulders. Despite Edd's concerns, Ed was doing a pretty good job, judging from May's facial expression…

"My sisters are getting looked after with TLC from their boyfriends. Might as well make it a threesome, Eddy", Lee said to her boyfriend with a smile. Eddy got the message. He gestured for Lee to turn so that he could work on her shoulders.

Needless to say, Nazz got Kevin to rub her shoulders while Lindsay got Rolf to do likewise for her. Johnny just sat and watched the guys cater to their girlfriends, which made him feel all the more lonely as the mini-bus slowly made its way toward the coast…