Chapter 15 – Debriefing, September 16th 1700.

The remainder of the Friday was a normal day for Edd. He didn't have any quizzes or examinations, so he just went about his day, taking notes, asking questions, and internally resetting his equilibrium. Cross country practice went off without a hitch, and Coach Pick confirmed that he would be available to administer Edd's PT test on Saturday, October 1st, so Edd had 2 solid weeks to prepare. As he was departing cross country practice, he saw Marie waiting by the fence surrounding the school, so he approached her on his way home from practice.

"Good afternoon Marie," he began. "How was your day?"

"Fine. Just fine. Listen, Edd, I really wanted to tell you something before you head home," she said.

"Oh? What would that be?" Edd inquired.

"Listen, I know that you've got a backup plan with Ed and Eddy this evening, but I just want to let you know that Ma's working late, and Lee's out again, so if you need a separate place to crash, the trailer's open," she offered.

Edd paused for a moment, and his mouth broke into a small smile. "Thank you for your generosity Marie. Hopefully it won't come to that, but I appreciate the offer," he said. Edd then noticed that Marie's countenance dropped a bit.

He continued, "Not that I wouldn't enjoy spending the evening again, it's just that, I'm hoping that I'm able to repair the chords of my family sooner rather than later."

Marie perked up a bit, "Yeah, ok. I totally get that. Want me to walk home with you, just in case?"

Edd sensed that it would be rude to refuse a request from someone whom he was rapidly considering one of his closest friends, and he realized he could use the company, "Yeah, sure, no problem at all," he said.

The teens began their journey through the neighborhood towards Edd's house, talking about the day, their weekend plans, how Marie's college search was going, and whether Edd was finally able to do four pullups. The twenty-minute walk seemed to pass by instantaneously, as before they knew it, they were at Edd's house. To the teen's surprise, as they approached Edd's house, his parents emerged from the driveway, coats on, as if they were preparing for an upcoming journey.

"Hello Mother. Hello Father. How are you doing today?" Edd asked.

"Fine, just fine my boy. Who's your friend?" Joe asked.

"Oh, this is Marie Kanker. She's been an acquaint.. I mean friend, for the past decade or so, and we were going to meet up for coffee tomorrow, so we were finalizing up plans," Edd replied.

Marie subtly blushed as Edd corrected himself from describing her as a mere "acquaintance" to an "actual friend" in front of his parents. Joe reached out his hand towards Marie.

"Pleasure to meet you Marie, I'm Joe," he said, as he shook Marie's hand.

"It's good to meet you too sir," she replied. Edd was a bit taken aback at Marie's uncharacteristic formality, but she flashed him a quick wink indicating that she knew how to play the part when it was required. "I'm guessing you're Edd's mother?" she asked Elizabeth.

"That would be correct. It's nice to meet you too Marie," Elizabeth said. "I'm sorry to be so abrupt, but would you mind if we had a private moment with our son? We were hoping to go on a quick trip," she told Marie.

"Yeah. Sure. No problem. Family stuff; I get it. I'll catch you tomorrow Edd?" she asked.

"Sure thing Marie. I'll see you on the morrow," Edd replied.

With a nod, Marie made herself scarce and headed towards the Park 'N Flush trailer park. Meanwhile, Edd asked his parents what the suddenness of the trip was about.

"We'll explain when we get there Edd. In the meantime, please grab a jacket and place your belongings inside," Elizabeth told her son.

Edd nodded in understanding, ran inside, dropped his backpack in his room, and grabbed a jacket before returning to the car. Joe began driving the family towards the edge of town.

"Edd," Elizabeth began, "Before we get too far into this trip, I just want to say that I'm sorry for how I acted last night, and I sincerely apologize. I spoke with Joe all morning about what happened, and we decided that there's something we need to tell you. Hopefully this trip will clear everything up, but in the meantime, I just want you to know that I'm sincerely sorry for how I acted."

Edd was taken aback. Never in his 17 years on Earth had his mother ever apologized in such a manner. This must've been something serious. Nevertheless, he responded, "I understand mother," without offering any more, as he was curious to see what this trip would unveil. After half an hour of driving, Edd realized they were far outside the normal city limits. His mind was racing, trying to understand where they could be going, what could be revealed, and why his parents were being so serious. His questions only multiplied as Joe pulled into the Angels Grove Cemetery, just outside of the city limits, and for a moment, Edd thought he was going to be buried alive, in one of his fleeting, overthinking brainstormings, before quickly dismissing the idea.

"We're here," Elizabeth said. As Joe parked the car, the family emerged and walked in silence for about one hundred yards before stopping in front of a solitary gravestone.

"Hey Joey," Elizabeth spoke to the gravestone. "How's it hanging buddy?" Joe said afterward.

Edd blinked. "Um. Mother? Father? What's going on?" he inquired.

Elizabeth took a deep sigh, and said to Joe, "Please. Tell the story. I don't want to begin this."

"Sure thing love," Joe replied. He sat on the ground and patted the dirt, indicating that Edd should take a seat next to him. As Edd took a seat, Joe began, "Friendships are forever. Much like you, Ed, and Eddy, I had a trio of similarly named friends in my youth: Jo, Joe, and Joey. I am Joe. Jo, our neighbor, was a football star on the high school team, and Joey was the altar server at our local church. We were the best of friends growing up, and we got into all sorts of mayhem, from tagging livestock on your friend Rolf's family farm, finding junk at the lumber mill to reuse and resell, and just looking to make a buck to get a comic book for the group of us. We were best of friends," Joe said, as he pulled out an old Polaroid photograph from his wallet. "We kept in touch throughout the years, wrecked havoc when we could, and even dated some of the prettiest girls in town, such as your mother," Joe flashed a smile to Elizabeth, who by this point had taken a seat beside her son.

"However, we went our separate ways," Joe continued. "Jo went out west to try and make a fortune with semiconductors and tech startups in the 70's. There's a good chance he's succeeded, but I've never been able to reach out and figure it out. Joey and I however went into the service."

Edd looked at his father with a quizzical look. "Really? Both of you?"

"Both of us," Joe replied. "We were looking for an adventure and a means out of Peach Creek. I ended up serving on nuclear submarines as an Electrician's Mate for seven years and Joey was in the Marine Infantry for a tour."

"When did this happen?" Edd asked.

At this point Joe took a deep breath. "We both signed up in 1966. I was sent to nuclear power school and prototype for a year before I was sent to the USS Sturgeon, the lead ship of its class in fast attack submarines for my remaining five years, while Joey was sent to 3rd Battalion, 3rd Marines out of Hawaii before deploying to Vietnam. He served eight years. Take a look at the gravestone a bit closer."

Edd read the inscription which read "Sergeant Joseph Gallagher. Medal of Honor. Silver Star. Purple Heart. January 17th 1947 – December 19th, 1991."

"What happened? Did he die in Desert Storm?" Edd asked, trying to make sense of the date.

"He did not. Like I said, he only served eight years and left the Corps. But, while he was there, his platoon came under heavy enemy fire while on a routine patrol, and his lieutenant and platoon sergeant were killed in action. Joe was the ranking officer, and successfully mounted a defense, organized a medevac, and rushed into enemy fire to pull seven of his wounded platoon members out of the mud, and carried them over his shoulder to the evacuation helicopter. He was shot in the calf and the stomach, but fortunately, no major organs were damaged. He was sent to a hospital ship for recovery and was ultimately discharged from the Marine Corps on a medical retirement because his wounds prevented him from staying on active duty."

Edd slowly took in this information. "So, did he ultimately succumb to his wounds later in life?" he inquired.

Joe took a deep breath. "Unfortunately, no," he began. "Joe's platoon was exposed to high levels of Agent Orange, a herbicide the US Government dropped in Vietnam in order to defoliate the wilderness to make combat easier by killing the natural plant life. He ultimately developed leukemia and passed away 17 years ago."

Edd slowly nodded in realization. He then turned towards his mother, whose eyes were red, and was choking back a cry. "I think I get it now mom. You didn't want me to be a Marine, because I could end up like Father's best friend, Joey," he said.

By this point, Elizabeth was thoroughly sobbing, and Joe reached over, hugged her, and pulled her close for a minute, while her breathing slowly came under control. When Elizabeth regained her composure, she looked at Joe and said "You can tell him."

"Sure thing dear," Joe replied. "You see Edd," Joe began. "Joey wasn't just my best friend. He was also your mother's first husband."

Edd's eyes opened wide, and he anticipated what Joe was about to tell him. "He's also," Joe continued, "Your biological father."