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part four: The Music of Hearts, 4♥, 5♥ 

Summary: 4♥ to feel the fear  

Ed consults with Bernie about the three films on the ace of hearts card and figures out the card’s missions involve his friends. The director of The Suitcase has the same last name as Ritchie. The star of Cat Ballou is Lee Marvin. Roman Holiday earned Audrey Hepburn an Oscar. Ed fears these will be the most challenging messages of all. He decides he must tackle them in the sequence on the card, starting with Ritchie. He watches outside Ritchie’s house for an hour until Daryl and Keith join him where he sits on the ground. They share snacks and tell jokes and stories like old friends. Finally, Keith confronts Ed about hesitating to act on what he already knows to do. 

Summary: 5♥ ritchie’s sin  

Over several nights, Ed observes Ritchie sitting in his kitchen alone after everyone has gone to bed, listening to the radio until he falls asleep. One night, Ritchie comes back to Ed’s place after the card game breaks up. He asks Ed to stop following him. Ed says he can’t because Ritchie is one of his missions. He confronts Ritchie about the emptiness of his life. Ed tells Ritchie that his inaction is disgraceful to himself. Ritchie accepts this honest assessment and says all he wants is to want something. 

Analysis of 4♥, 5♥ 

Friendships that form in youth are a complex mix of acceptance and trust. Ed, Audrey, Ritchie, and Marv are kindred spirits who support each other’s flaws and weaknesses. Ed knows that upsetting this delicate balance risks losing his friends. He also understands that challenging people to change is an act of friendship as important as supporting them in their vulnerabilities. The use of movies to identify the interventions situates the missions in a broader context beyond Ed’s immediate life. Like the book titles, the cultural references help Ed to visualize the growth that’s possible for his friends and enables him to step out of his comfort zone and complete each task. 

Daryl and Keith provide support for Ed’s process with Ritchie. This time the hitmen come as friends to encourage Ed to trust his judgment. Ed has observed Ritchie’s lack of purpose and inertia, drifting into adulthood relying on social welfare payments for the indigent rather than getting work. The brutal tactic that Ed chooses with his friend is shame, a weapon appropriate to the crime. Ritchie’s sin is that of dishonoring his potential. As Ritchie faces and accepts the truth about himself, he gains insight into what’s paralyzing him: he can’t feel need, moral imperative, or desire, and he’s stuck. 

Previous section part three: Trying Times for Ed Kennedy, 8♠, 9♠, 10♠, J♠, Q♠, K♠ Next section part four: The Music of Hearts, 4♥, 5♥

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