Ennis and Jack were spread out on a bed of grass, watching the stars wink out from under cloud cover. They held hands and felt mighty good; there was still almost a week of “fishing” out in the wilderness, just the two of them.
Jack felt dreamy and hazarded a question. “If we had our own place, friend,” he began, “What should we do first?” Ennis looked at Jack, thoughtful. “Strange question, Rodeo,” Ennis answered. “I don’t know. I don’t rightly have a head for business, but I’m curious.” Ennis squeezed Jack’s hand in his. “What should we do first?” “I guess we should build up stock after getting all of the licensing and insurance matters out of the way," Jack offered. “Sounds good and reasonable to me,” Ennis laughed. “But where would we get the money to build up stock?” Jack shifted on the grass and Ennis knew that he had made a mistake. The question just slipped out.
“Remember I once told you that my father-in-law would give me a certain amount of money to leave town,” Jack ventured. “I remember,” Ennis whispered. “Well, he made the offer official, and told me he had $20,000 and would wire it into my account once I set up shop somewhere, anywhere outside the state of Texas.” Jack’s voice was uncertain, cautious. Ennis sat up suddenly and looked down into his lover’s eyes. “Did you just say $20,000, Rodeo?” Ennis asked, flabbergasted. “20,000,” Jack answered, his excitement growing. “Well, that is a lot of money, and I know you’re tempted to take it. Are you going to set up shop somewhere, Jack?” Ennis asked. “Only if you come with me,” was Jack’s reply. “I told you,” Ennis began, “It can’t be that way, and you know my reasons.” Jack held his peace. He nodded. “Okay, Cowboy, just trying to make conversation. We can talk about something else, or we can go for a short walk before turning in. You decide.” Ennis didn’t know what to say. He hated to keep refusing Jack’s offer of the sweet life, but he just couldn’t make that kind of a commitment. “Let’s go for a walk, friend,” Jack suggested as he rose from the ground. Ennis followed Jack to a hiking trail and fell in step beside him. From that moment on, Jack made a vow. He would never mention the cow and calf operation again. Ennis shot his plane down out of the sky one time too many. The offer was withdrawn forever.