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31_days2007-02-05 09:07 pm
rhye.livejournal.com) wrote in 31_days2007-02-05 09:07 pm
[February 5] [Brokeback Mountain] Once Upon a Time - 5
Title: Once Upon a Time - 5
Day/Theme: February 5th/The Golden Apple
Series: Brokeback Mountain
Character/Pairing: Jack Twist/Ennis del Mar
Rating: R
Chapter 5
Ennis didn't even think to answer the letter. The money was a fact, like Jack.
But, as more time passed, he started to worry about the lack of notice about when Jack'd be back. Now that Ennis had made a decision, and Jack'd got the money, Ennis felt impatient, itchy. He didn't want to seem desperate, so he endured the time, let the days form weeks.
Eventually, Junior's wedding came. It was about that time that Ennis came to know his ranch was going to close in six weeks. He was supposed to be cowboying down by the Tetons, but he'd got leave. Maybe there'd been a time when he might have missed his baby girl's wedding for work, but with the ranch folding, and him leaving soon, his chances to see Junior were waning.
He rented a cheap tux, and gave away his big girl at the alter. Francine sang a hymn, but wouldn't meet his eyes.
The reception afterward was in the church basement, long particle-board tables lined up and draped with cotton tablecloths. Monroe catered. Ennis pumped Kurt's arm like a proud father. Francine still wouldn't look his way, but he saw wetness in her eyes sometimes when they passed over him. He found himself standing next to her in the food line, and dropped a casual remark. "You ever seen food like this? Ain't this somethin'."
Was that a smile trying to climb onto her face? "Yeah, it's real nice."
"You gonna have a spread like this when you get married?"
"Dad, I ain't nowhere near getting married." She was full-out smiling now, staring into the potato salad.
He smiled, too. Resting a hand on her shoulder, he pulled her close.
"Daddy, I'm sorry," she whispered.
"Mmm, it's alright. You got a right to be mad at me."
"No I don't. I was so bad."
"Don't worry about it." He gave her one last squeeze and walked back to his own table, while she went off with friends.
At his table, Ennis was joined by the most infuriating company-- first off was the sister of the mayor. She was a friend of Alma's from church, but not too close of a friend. She seemed to know who he was, anyway, because she was all over him like gravy on potatoes, talking about how strong and lonesome he was. He had a mind to tell her off in no uncertain terms, but she was the mayor's sister. Ms. Thelma Nelms was her name.
As if that weren't bad enough, a pretty little thing who also went to church with Alma seemed to think he should be interested in her. She was cute in the way Cassie'd been cute, blond curls, pouting pink lips. The laugh lines around her eyes told that she was older than she looked. She introduced herself as Abby Westin.
The only people there he knew enough to talk to, Junior and Francine, were preoccupied with dancing and friends. Ennis spent the time hedging between Abby and Thelma. Abby was gorgeous, and Thelma was saying how she could probably get him a job somewhere around town with her contacts-- she was powerful. The truth, though, he started to realize sandwiched between those two enthusiastic women, was that he was queer. It'd been something he'd been afraid of his whole life, but Francine had screamed at him, called him a faggot, then smiled at him and apologized over potato salad, and maybe Francie was right. Maybe it wasn't the end of the world at all. The sweet smells of these women made him long all the more for Jack's musk.
Somewhere in the middle of dinner, a high pitched shriek assailed all the guests from the direction of the head table. "Daddy!" Junior's enthusiastic outburst was uncharacteristic of her. Ennis started. Junior was coming over now, still prattling. Alma was clenching a card back at the head table. Ennis felt Junior's wedding-gown arms wrap around him.
"A trip to the Big Apple, really, Dad. I know you don't have that kind of money!" A grateful sheen of tears threatened to spill from her eyes. Junior had some stalwart emotional control, but whatever was in the envelope had broken it down. Alma Senior was red and tight-lipped. Monroe looked shocked.
"What is it, lil' darlin?" Ennis tried not to broadcast too much confusion, but he felt mighty lost among the commotion, and hated being the center of attention like this. Everyone in the banquet hall was watching them.
Junior seemed to return to herself. Straightening her gown, she addressed the guests. "My Daddy bought me and Kurt a two-week stay in the Big Apple! With airfare an' everything!" Joyful gasps and a few appreciative claps followed her address.
"Junior. Junior." Guests had turned back to each other, and all over Ennis could hear shared stories about people who'd always dreamt of going to New York City, or about how they had visited there once upon a time.
"Thank you so much, Dad. Really, I know you don't--"
"Junior, I didn't--"
"--have the money. I'm so happy--"
"Junior, listen! I don't have the money. I didn't buy you that."
She stopped, face frozen. "Huh?"
"I didn't buy no such thing! My gift, my gift..." he pointed at the gift table. "I wrote you a check for a hundred dollars. I know it ain't much, but--"
"Well then, who--"
Like a fox on a rabbit, Ms. Nelms cut in. "Oh, I did, dear. I know your father isn't a rich man, and I just wanted you to have something happy to remember him by, now that you're goin' off on yer own."
Junior was staring blank-faced at Ms. Nelms, clearly not sure whether to be grateful or angry, when Abby Westin broke in with a sickly-sweet smile, luring in the unwary with a false sense of maidenhood honesty.
"Don't listen to a word she says, Alma. I don't know why she'd lie, but I got it for you. I just knew how much you would love New York City! It's the seat of American fashion and culture."
Ennis thought he might be sick.
Junior turned big, brown eyes on him, seemingly begging him for an explanation, like he should know. He didn't have nothing to do with it, and leastways he didn't know a single person who had that kind of money--
Ennis felt his breath catch in his throat. "How'd.. how'd you get the envelope?" He said it with more urgency than he meant to, but there it was.
"Huh? Some guy handed it to me, said it was from you--"
Ennis's eyes flew up. He'd only ever been good at two things in his life. One was riding-- he was one of the best horsemen in the county if not the state. The other was recognizing the silhouette of Jack Twist, the thickness of his haunch, the width of his shoulder, the exact slope of his ass, the way he stood.
He was standing back by the bar, swirling a cola, since there was no alcohol in the church. He had his eyes down, and his stance was relaxed.
Ennis spared a glance around. No one was watching him except the three gals here: Ms. Nelms, who had her hand around the town's seat of power; Abby Westin, who could have outshone those models in the fashion magazines she was no doubt a fan of; and Alma Ruth del Mar Johnson, who wanted only one thing, the truth, the sense of all this.
He hadn't ever been able to afford any kind of trip for his little gal, but the truth was something he could deliver.
He put a warm hand on Junior's shoulder, and tried to tell himself it would be alright. After all, if Francie knew, odds were Junior already did, and she hadn't reacted at all just yet. Ennis turned her so she had a view of the little bar. "Was it that man there?"
"Yeah..." she started.
"He's my brother," Ms. Nelms cut in with.
"Oh, come on. Gosh, you have to cut out the lies. He's actually my uncle," said Abby.
"Dad?" Junior was probably already catching on. She was a smart one. "Who is he?"
He clenched her shoulder, bullying past the butt end of his fears, focusing on not letting the words break him as they finally broke free. "That's my Jack. You met him once when you were real little. Come on and meet him again, darlin'. Think ya got a trip to thank him for."
Ennis had thought for a lot of years that there couldn't be anything more foolish than letting people think, or in his case, know, you're queer. He knew what happened to men like that. It wasn't wise.
Yet, no matter how many times he repeated to himself what an unwise thing it was to do, the moment Junior slung her thin arms around Jack's neck, and he wrapped her up in an embrace Ennis knew as gentle and warm, chuckling something into her ear in answer to her gratitude chorus-- that moment, Ennis couldn't remember a time when he'd felt wiser.
Day/Theme: February 5th/The Golden Apple
Series: Brokeback Mountain
Character/Pairing: Jack Twist/Ennis del Mar
Rating: R
Chapter 5
Ennis didn't even think to answer the letter. The money was a fact, like Jack.
But, as more time passed, he started to worry about the lack of notice about when Jack'd be back. Now that Ennis had made a decision, and Jack'd got the money, Ennis felt impatient, itchy. He didn't want to seem desperate, so he endured the time, let the days form weeks.
Eventually, Junior's wedding came. It was about that time that Ennis came to know his ranch was going to close in six weeks. He was supposed to be cowboying down by the Tetons, but he'd got leave. Maybe there'd been a time when he might have missed his baby girl's wedding for work, but with the ranch folding, and him leaving soon, his chances to see Junior were waning.
He rented a cheap tux, and gave away his big girl at the alter. Francine sang a hymn, but wouldn't meet his eyes.
The reception afterward was in the church basement, long particle-board tables lined up and draped with cotton tablecloths. Monroe catered. Ennis pumped Kurt's arm like a proud father. Francine still wouldn't look his way, but he saw wetness in her eyes sometimes when they passed over him. He found himself standing next to her in the food line, and dropped a casual remark. "You ever seen food like this? Ain't this somethin'."
Was that a smile trying to climb onto her face? "Yeah, it's real nice."
"You gonna have a spread like this when you get married?"
"Dad, I ain't nowhere near getting married." She was full-out smiling now, staring into the potato salad.
He smiled, too. Resting a hand on her shoulder, he pulled her close.
"Daddy, I'm sorry," she whispered.
"Mmm, it's alright. You got a right to be mad at me."
"No I don't. I was so bad."
"Don't worry about it." He gave her one last squeeze and walked back to his own table, while she went off with friends.
At his table, Ennis was joined by the most infuriating company-- first off was the sister of the mayor. She was a friend of Alma's from church, but not too close of a friend. She seemed to know who he was, anyway, because she was all over him like gravy on potatoes, talking about how strong and lonesome he was. He had a mind to tell her off in no uncertain terms, but she was the mayor's sister. Ms. Thelma Nelms was her name.
As if that weren't bad enough, a pretty little thing who also went to church with Alma seemed to think he should be interested in her. She was cute in the way Cassie'd been cute, blond curls, pouting pink lips. The laugh lines around her eyes told that she was older than she looked. She introduced herself as Abby Westin.
The only people there he knew enough to talk to, Junior and Francine, were preoccupied with dancing and friends. Ennis spent the time hedging between Abby and Thelma. Abby was gorgeous, and Thelma was saying how she could probably get him a job somewhere around town with her contacts-- she was powerful. The truth, though, he started to realize sandwiched between those two enthusiastic women, was that he was queer. It'd been something he'd been afraid of his whole life, but Francine had screamed at him, called him a faggot, then smiled at him and apologized over potato salad, and maybe Francie was right. Maybe it wasn't the end of the world at all. The sweet smells of these women made him long all the more for Jack's musk.
Somewhere in the middle of dinner, a high pitched shriek assailed all the guests from the direction of the head table. "Daddy!" Junior's enthusiastic outburst was uncharacteristic of her. Ennis started. Junior was coming over now, still prattling. Alma was clenching a card back at the head table. Ennis felt Junior's wedding-gown arms wrap around him.
"A trip to the Big Apple, really, Dad. I know you don't have that kind of money!" A grateful sheen of tears threatened to spill from her eyes. Junior had some stalwart emotional control, but whatever was in the envelope had broken it down. Alma Senior was red and tight-lipped. Monroe looked shocked.
"What is it, lil' darlin?" Ennis tried not to broadcast too much confusion, but he felt mighty lost among the commotion, and hated being the center of attention like this. Everyone in the banquet hall was watching them.
Junior seemed to return to herself. Straightening her gown, she addressed the guests. "My Daddy bought me and Kurt a two-week stay in the Big Apple! With airfare an' everything!" Joyful gasps and a few appreciative claps followed her address.
"Junior. Junior." Guests had turned back to each other, and all over Ennis could hear shared stories about people who'd always dreamt of going to New York City, or about how they had visited there once upon a time.
"Thank you so much, Dad. Really, I know you don't--"
"Junior, I didn't--"
"--have the money. I'm so happy--"
"Junior, listen! I don't have the money. I didn't buy you that."
She stopped, face frozen. "Huh?"
"I didn't buy no such thing! My gift, my gift..." he pointed at the gift table. "I wrote you a check for a hundred dollars. I know it ain't much, but--"
"Well then, who--"
Like a fox on a rabbit, Ms. Nelms cut in. "Oh, I did, dear. I know your father isn't a rich man, and I just wanted you to have something happy to remember him by, now that you're goin' off on yer own."
Junior was staring blank-faced at Ms. Nelms, clearly not sure whether to be grateful or angry, when Abby Westin broke in with a sickly-sweet smile, luring in the unwary with a false sense of maidenhood honesty.
"Don't listen to a word she says, Alma. I don't know why she'd lie, but I got it for you. I just knew how much you would love New York City! It's the seat of American fashion and culture."
Ennis thought he might be sick.
Junior turned big, brown eyes on him, seemingly begging him for an explanation, like he should know. He didn't have nothing to do with it, and leastways he didn't know a single person who had that kind of money--
Ennis felt his breath catch in his throat. "How'd.. how'd you get the envelope?" He said it with more urgency than he meant to, but there it was.
"Huh? Some guy handed it to me, said it was from you--"
Ennis's eyes flew up. He'd only ever been good at two things in his life. One was riding-- he was one of the best horsemen in the county if not the state. The other was recognizing the silhouette of Jack Twist, the thickness of his haunch, the width of his shoulder, the exact slope of his ass, the way he stood.
He was standing back by the bar, swirling a cola, since there was no alcohol in the church. He had his eyes down, and his stance was relaxed.
Ennis spared a glance around. No one was watching him except the three gals here: Ms. Nelms, who had her hand around the town's seat of power; Abby Westin, who could have outshone those models in the fashion magazines she was no doubt a fan of; and Alma Ruth del Mar Johnson, who wanted only one thing, the truth, the sense of all this.
He hadn't ever been able to afford any kind of trip for his little gal, but the truth was something he could deliver.
He put a warm hand on Junior's shoulder, and tried to tell himself it would be alright. After all, if Francie knew, odds were Junior already did, and she hadn't reacted at all just yet. Ennis turned her so she had a view of the little bar. "Was it that man there?"
"Yeah..." she started.
"He's my brother," Ms. Nelms cut in with.
"Oh, come on. Gosh, you have to cut out the lies. He's actually my uncle," said Abby.
"Dad?" Junior was probably already catching on. She was a smart one. "Who is he?"
He clenched her shoulder, bullying past the butt end of his fears, focusing on not letting the words break him as they finally broke free. "That's my Jack. You met him once when you were real little. Come on and meet him again, darlin'. Think ya got a trip to thank him for."
Ennis had thought for a lot of years that there couldn't be anything more foolish than letting people think, or in his case, know, you're queer. He knew what happened to men like that. It wasn't wise.
Yet, no matter how many times he repeated to himself what an unwise thing it was to do, the moment Junior slung her thin arms around Jack's neck, and he wrapped her up in an embrace Ennis knew as gentle and warm, chuckling something into her ear in answer to her gratitude chorus-- that moment, Ennis couldn't remember a time when he'd felt wiser.