Ed's Cloud

Ask Ed about himself and he'll start, “Well, there's this cloud...”

And then he'll tell about the black cloud that follows him and rains shit on his life. But today he knows his goals.

His best friend Andrea needs to do some shopping and get home for winter break with the contents of her room. He has a simple plan: drive out with his girlfriend, meet Andrea and her new boy, have sex in Andrea's shower, tag along while she goes shopping, and then take her home.

“So you must like rain,” Andrea's boy, Ryan, says.

“Hm?” Ed says.

“Your black cloud theory,” Ryan says. “You're in a good enough mood.”

Ed half grins, half frowns. He thinks about the new wrinkle in the story. His mother wants to become an Episcopal priest, and she won't let Ed's father cosign any more loans. The bank won't let him take any more on his own.

“It hasn't hit me yet,” Ed says, “wait a couple hours.”

He bites into an ice cream sandwich even though he knows his immune system will attack his intestines as soon as the food gets there, but it tastes good, and he needs to eat sometime.

He quizzes Ryan on who he is, what he does and what he wants to do, and Ryan sets off some red flags. For one, he goes to a state college. Ed's never been real sure about state college guys, but Ryan doesn't seem typical of that crowd.

Then the Crohn's disease kicks in, and Ed puts his head on the table. His eyes pinch shut, but he holds down the moans of pain while monsters wrestle in his stomach.

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