I Am the Messenger Part 3 / Chapter A Summary

the game

  • Part 3 is called "Trying Times for Ed Kennedy," and true to its name, it opens with Ed swollen, beaten, and bruised, barely able to get out of bed the next day.
  • He wonders if Keith and Daryl will pay him a visit the next day and he secretly hopes they will.
  • There's a knock at the door, but it's Marv. He wants to take Ed out for breakfast, which is is a rare treat since Marv is the cheapest guy alive; Ed can hardly believe it.
  • Ed knows that Marv is just taking him out because he wants to make sure Ed will still play in the game even though he got jumped.
  • At the Main Street café, the boys are served by a waitress named Margaret. And by served we aren't just talking about food—Margaret delivers a side of sass with everything she brings them.
  • Marv and Ed eat and talk about the game.
  • At the Sledge Game, Marv and Ed's team (Colts) duke it out with the Falcons. There's some trash talk and roughing up before the game.
  • Ed thinks about the fact that no one thought he should call the cops when he got beat up… that's curious, he realizes.
  • Then he passes off the Doorman to some guy named Jay he just met; he's got to play so he can't worry about his dog right now.
  • The game goes a little something like this: Falcons score and Ed gets smashed, again and again.
  • During the second half, though, they fight back. A huge guy named Mimi goes up against Ed and gets knocked down; everyone cheers.
  • While someone's getting a stretcher for Mimi, Ed realizes that the Doorman is gone. Uh-oh.