Chapter 13 – After Action, September 15th 2230.
Edd made his way back to the Park N Flush trailer park in the dark. Throughout his walk, numerous thoughts raced in and out of his mind. "What just happened?" was the most frequent, followed by "nothing makes sense right now," and "what did I do wrong?" Throughout his 17 years on Earth, one of the constants he could depend on was that his parents were rational, logical, and able to discuss all matters with him, but his mother's outburst and his subsequent banishment from the household (which Edd hoped would be temporary) left him cold, confused, and afraid. As the night was reaching its apex, Edd knocked on the trailer door, which was immediately opened by Marie who handed him a hot cup of green tea. Edd quickly took a sip, thankful that it wasn't too hot, and began:
"Marie, I can't thank you enough for taking me in at this late -," and he was immediately cut off by Marie putting her finger on his lip. "Edd," she began, "take a second, sit down, drink some tea, and then let's talk."
Edd nodded, thankful for the opportunity to enjoy a few minutes of calm silence before his mind would inevitably begin racing in circles again trying to analyze and reanalyze the events of the past hour. He sat down on the couch next to Marie and slowly sipped his tea. However, for a few minutes, he was at ease, knowing that for the moment he was safe, had a roof over his head, tea in his hands, and a friend, well, at least a very good acquaintance who took him in without any questions in his moment of need. After a few minutes, Edd put his tea on the small table in front of him and looked at Marie. He was a bit surprised and quite grateful that Marie wasn't trying anything physical or provocative. She merely sat there, hands folded in her lap, never taking her eyes off Edd, with a small smile that said "I'm here for you." A few minutes later, Edd finished his tea and set it on the table.
"Marie, seriously, thank you. I don't know what happened at home, but my mom just flipped and threw me out," Edd stated.
"I know what that's like. It used to happen to me on the reg, but the first time was definitely the hardest and I ended up sleeping in the woods by the creek," Marie replied. "So, I get what you're going through. Want to talk about it?" Marie inquired.
"I do, but this is probably going to sound like babbling, so please bear with me Marie if I get long winded," Edd offered, to which Marie nodded in response.
Edd then recounted the story of how he got home, and had to apologize for being late to his mother. Marie sat there, at first thinking "getting thrown out for breaking curfew? That can't be all," but rather than interrupt, she sat quietly and listened. Edd then continued explaining how he told his mother where he was that evening, and when he mentioned the possibility of joining the Marines, she flipped out and threw him out. Edd then continued,
"Really, I just don't get the cause and effect. If I was thrown out for breaking curfew, that would make sense, because I would've done something wrong and would've been punished. Sure, it would've been harsh, but at least I could see the cause and effect. I just can't wrap my head around how speculating about my future career caused her to react this way. She's never exploded like this before, and well, here I am trying to figure it out," Edd stated as he looked up at Marie. "I just can't process this right now."
Marie took a deep breath, and was equal parts confused, upset, and empathetic. She was confused because like Edd, she could not wrap her head around how speculating about a future career, one that seemed pretty noble in her opinion, warranted such harsh treatment. She was upset to see one of the few people whom she actually gave a damn about hurt and abandoned by his own family. She was empathetic because she too knew what it was like to be abandoned without explanation by one of her parents, and remembered being a confused for a long portion of her life as to why she had no father. At that moment, she did the one thing which she believed could make a difference, something her sister Lee did for her numerous times in her past when she was in a dark place. Marie reached out and hugged Edd, not in her normal vice-like bear hug, but in a soft, gentle embrace which offered safety, comfort, relief and peace. Edd paused for a moment, unsure what to do, but after a few seconds, he returned her embrace, and they sat there for two minutes in silence. Edd was the first to break the embrace and the silence,
"Thank you, Marie," he began. "I'm not sure what's next, but I'll try to repair things with my mother tomorrow, or rather, today, judging by the clock which now reads midnight thirty."
"Okay," Marie responded. "Do you need anything right now?" she offered.
"No, I think I'm good. I always assumed that nothing productive happened after midnight anyway, and knowing that I'll be safe for the evening is a huge relief. Are you sure your mother or sisters won't mind?" Edd asked.
"Lee and May are alright. We've all been thrown out at various times for our behavior, and I've had to sleep in the woods by the creek once or twice when I screwed up bad. Mom, on the other hand, is working a double shift this evening through the morning, so she won't be back until noon tomorrow, and even if you're here, I'm sure she'll understand," Marie responded.
"I still can't believe you've all been thrown out before, and just had to make due for the evening," Edd offered.
"I hate to say it, but it is what it is. Sometimes the three of us were just too much for my mom, and well, that's her response. I don't blame her, but, I'm still having a hard time letting it go. At this point we have more of a transactional relationship which will end once I move out. Regardless, I am a bit surprised that you didn't call Ed or Eddy first, why's that?" Marie asked.
"Well, to be completely honest, I did, but their phones went straight to voicemail," Edd replied.
"Third time's the charm, eh?" Marie joked.
"Honestly, and this isn't just because of what happened this evening, I'm tending to place them lower on my list of friends. Sure, we have great history and we stuck together for nearly a decade, and I'm sure when I'm back and we're all twenty-one we'll have a drink or two and regale the old times, but, Ed's into sports, Eddy's into cash, and we're genuinely heading in three different directions. I tried my best to remain friends with them, but without the scams to accomplish, we really never hung out or had anything in common other than tending to be the odd one out of our cul-de-sac. But, once Ed found his athletic friends and Eddy started rubbing elbows with his co-workers, I kind of got left in the dust. It's one of the reasons I was hoping to join the Navy in the first place, you know? To recapture some of that close-knit kinship among my peers. Again, I'm probably babbling at this point," Edd said.
"Really?" Marie asked. "Because I always thought you were the best of friends with everyone? You're always so kind, generous, able to help out, and willing to help out at that. You really think they're not you're true friends?"
"If I'm being honest, no, I do not believe I have any real friends in Peach Creek. Now, that's not necessarily a bad thing at this point, for I have a year left, and then the rest of my life to work on that area, and nothing will be tying me here, but, that's my assumption. Kevin's nice if he needs some assistance researching the transmission his motorcycle, Rolf is friendly enough to everyone, Sarah had a short-lived crush on me, but would only invite me over to get her brother out of the house, Ed's nice enough, but we don't have anything in common, and Eddy essentially used me as the brains for his scams. If I am being genuine, I don't think anyone would truly care if I left for the Navy and never came back," Edd stated.
Marie back away and looked at him in shock. "Relax," Edd said, "I'm not saying this as if I'm about to jump of a bridge hoping that a guardian angel would show me what the world would be like without me. I'm just saying that I don't think I have any roots tying me down here, and after this most recent incident with my mother, I'm beginning to think that people in Peach Creek only value me for my brain and what I can offer them, not who I am. There's nothing wrong with that, it's just one more reason to look forward to graduation."
Marie suppressed a sob. "Is he serious?" she thought to herself. "Does he really not understand that I truly loved him back in the day? Okay, sure, I guess, no, I was a little too forceful, but really? Edd thinks nobody gives a damn about him?" Her emotions and hormones were stirring as she was torn between jumping on top of him, hugging him in her usual vice grip and telling him that she loved him, and breaking down completely at the sight of Edd momentarily losing all sense of self-worth.
Edd broke the momentary silence, "Regardless, I cannot thank you enough for taking me in for the evening, or for training with me earlier. At least I know there's one person I can count on right now."
"Any time, Edd," Marie said. "You need anything else for the night? I can grab you some extra pillows or blankets?"
"No thank you, I'll be quite fine. But, I don't want to keep you up any longer. You're probably beat. I'll be good for the night; thank you," Edd stated.
"Okay," Marie replied. As she got up to leave, she took one glance at Edd as he was pulling his beanie over his eyes. He looked so alone and vulnerable, but there was a resolve she sensed in him that would allow him to persevere. Still, as Edd was beginning to drift off to sleep, she saw him pull his arms close to his own chest, as if he was cold, and just hoping to hold onto someone for comfort, even for a moment. Marie had long given up hope that there would be anything romantic between them, but she still harbored feelings for Edd and wanted to comfort him.
"Edd, you know you can cry if you want to," Marie said, "I've been hurt before and I know it helps."
"I agree Marie, but right now, I think I'm too confused to cry, if that makes any sense. I don't even know what I'd be crying about," Edd replied.
"Okay, I get that. Do you want me to stay here for a bit?" Marie asked.
"I wouldn't want to trouble you," Edd replied.
"You're the one who just got thrown out of their own house. It's really no trouble, and I'd like to, if you'll have me?" Marie asked.
Edd audibly took a deep breath, as if mustering the courage to move forward with his decision. "Marie," he began, "I think I'd like that."
Marie broke into a smile and expeditiously flipped the lights off. She then made her way to the couch. Edd was in a seated position with his spine vertical against the armrest and his legs outstretched on the cushions. Marie quietly slipped her body beside his in a similar position and wrapped her arms around his waist as her head was nuzzled into his chest. Edd responded by draping his right arm around her shoulder and his left around her waist, joining his hands together on the lower portion of her shirt. As they drifted off to sleep, Edd pulled Marie tighter for a moment and kissed the back of her head, "Thank you Marie," he said.
Marie responded by pulling Edd tighter and rubbing her head along his chest, "Any time," she replied, as the two teens slept, uncertain of what morning would bring, but at peace with where they were now.