Ed Kaehler is a laidback guy. He manages the housekeeping department for his building, endures insults from some of his fellow managers, and takes care of the elderly in his spare time. Some may consider his life to be lacking something, but there’s more to Ed than meets the eye.<br><br>The new facilities director, Titus Leung, discovers this when he goes out of his way to make friends with Ed. But then, Ed finds out that the main reason Titus befriends him is because of a stupid bet. A punch, a knee to the groin, and some choice words settle the matter, and now Titus has to figure out how to get Ed to forgive him.<br><br>That might be asking a lot from a man who’s been hurt too many times. But with the help of Ed’s favorite non-profit, anything is possible.

And This Is Ed

After a meal of stir-fried chicken and rice, I sat on the couch, determined to bury the day in a movie of some sort on TV. I was in the middle of Children of Men when my cell phone buzzed. The first thing I thought was that something had happened at work.


I snatched up the phone and swiped the screen so I could read the text. It was from a number I didn’t recognize. What are you doing on Memorial Day?


I was too tired to play games. You have the wrong number.


I set aside my phone and went back to my movie. Half an hour later, I received another text. It’s Titus, from work.


Shit. I thought about how he might have gotten my number, but then I remembered that the contact information—including cell phones—for department heads was available on the employee portal. So why was he bugging me at close to ten at night?


It’s late, I typed, hoping he’d get the hint.


Can we meet somewhere tomorrow or Monday?


Chapter 8