I Am the Messenger: 9 of Spades Summary & Analysis

Audrey wakes up in Ed’s bed the next morning and he serves her breakfast. Before she says goodbye, she tells Ed that he knows her better than anyone and she feels the most comfortable around him. After she leaves, Ed feels like he is in physical pain. For the rest of the day, Ed thinks about how the young man from last night suggested Ed was not the only one receiving missions. He wonders if that man, Daryl, and Keith are also receiving instructions from an outside source.

That night, Ed leaves his dog at home and walks to the restaurant on Clown Street. He feels anxious, worrying that this will be one of his difficult missions. He asks for a table at the restaurant and sits in the back corner. After ordering dinner, he surveys the other customers. He notices an older man sitting alone at the next table. Then the man’s date arrives, and Ed realizes the date is Ed’s own mother, looking more dressed up and feminine than Ed has ever seen.

Ed’s mother’s date is dressed nicely and acts like a gentleman. Ed cannot help but think about his dead father. Ed states that while his father was an alcoholic, he was still nice and gentlemanly. Ma used to yell at her husband when he came home drunk and nag him during the day. Ed remembers how his father used to take him and his siblings to the park, and on those days, Ed saw his father as a hero. Ed continues to watch his mother on her date and feels increasingly angrier because, he realizes, she is happy with someone and he himself is alone.