Right (46) by Toycoon
Ennis started up the basement steps with Jack a few steps behind him. He suddenly stopped at the top of the stairs and turned to Jack. A huge smile spread across his face. "Wha?" questioned Jack, grinning. "Well, I ain't never had a place of ma' own, never had a purmanet job. Now, I got both," he said sincerely. "I sure am glad I met you, Jack Twist." Jack looked down at the steps then back at Ennis' face. "C'mon buddy, we got a lotta work to do. You seen that yard? It's a mess!" Jack flipped off the basement light and closed the door.
The men walked back into the kitchen and Mrs. Twist informed them that Jack's father had gone out to the barn to gather up the tools. He wanted them to get started on rebuilding the barn. The barn had been in disrepair since Jack was a boy; becoming more and more dilapidated each year. In fact, Jack couldn't remember a time when it was in good condition.
Mr. Twist dragged out the sawhorses, the hand saw and two hammers then laid them on the ground next to the pile of lumber. He stood back with his hands on his hips and surveyed the work ahead. He recalled when the barn originally was built.
In the spring of 1933, John was ten years old. His mother had died of tuberculosis the winter before, so John's uncle and aunt moved in with them to help on the ranch. John was in awe of his uncle. Uncle Ted was a rodeo cowboy; charming and ruggedly handsome. Together with John's father, the two men built the barn in one month. When it came time to paint the barn, John was delighted that Uncle John sought his help.
John labored earnestly, painting most of the outside of the barn and getting himself covered with white paint in the process. He turned to his father and uncle for approval. "Ya done a good job. There's almost as much paint on you as there is on that barn." John's father and Uncle Ted laughed and dismissed John to take a bath. "And don't come back 'til yer good and clean, boy!"
John ran into the house, upstairs to the bathroom, got undressed, ran the warm water then stepped into the tub. A few minutes later, the bathroom door opened. It was Uncle Ted. He stepped in and walked towards John. "How's about Uncle Ted scrubbing ya up, nice and clean, huh?" Too startled to say anything, John stared straight ahead. Uncle Ted began to soap up John's back then started to fondle the boy. After that, Ted's secret visits to John in his bedroom became more frequent and more abusive. The pristine white barn that he was so proud of and helped his uncle build became a symbol of something John detested and could not bear to look at.
Topic: Introducing the "Jack with Ennis" Fan Fic Game - the BetterMost Edition (Read 2667693 times)