Right 83 by Littlewing1957
Jack was lying, fully clothed, on his small bed. He just said goodnight to Ennis, who returned to his rightful place: the Twist’s basement “apartment.” Jack folded his arms over his head and thought back to the events of the past few days. He couldn’t believe that Leroy and Alan were dead! The series of events moved through his mind like a blurry slide show. The first slide featured the small get-together at Katie’s shop in Sepia tones. Next, Leroy and Alan slithered in and threatened them all with a gun. And the last slide - Alan actually becoming a hero of sorts – throwing himself in front of Leroy and saving the lives of everyone present. Jack didn’t want to dwell on Alan’s fate. It was entirely too painful to think of his ex-friend dying so young, and so tragically. He had no sympathy at all for Leroy. He shuddered to think what would have happened if Alan failed to halt that sociopath! Lightning Flat’s only undertaker would have made a “killing,” preparing so many bodies for burial if Leroy was left to his own devices. As it happened, only two funerals were planned in town. Alan will be buried on Friday, and those who loved him will say respects to Leroy the following Monday. No one was responsible for Leroy's suicide but Leroy. Jack didn’t think he could attend any of the funerals.
The girls were in a bad state. Peggy Ann fainted dead away when she saw what happened to Leroy and Alan. Katie, God bless her, was more concerned about the state of her shop than the deaths of the two troublemakers. She ran around Preen, inspecting her inventory, while Leroy and Alan breathed their last! Rocky was in shock and sat silent and motionless until Ennis took her home. The last Jack heard, Katie was preparing to contact her insurance company about the damages to her shop, and Rocky was on her way to New York City to spend some time with an Aunt. Jack shivered when he thought of Katie. He liked her as a friend, but he saw a side of her that made his blood run cold. He didn’t understand how she could think about material gain, about business, when two men lay dead, almost right in front of her! Jack hated to admit it, but he wouldn’t care if he never again laid eyes on Katie. Leroy's baby's mother went into premature labor when she heard about the accident. As it turned out, both mother and daughter were doing well. Jack smiled when he thought about his pa. He was quite attentive to every one present. Mr. Twist helped comfort the women, called the authorities to come collect the bodies, and just took charge while everyone else seemed comatose! He was the first person the sheriff spoke to when they all had to give an accounting of the events. Mr. Twist didn’t know all the facts, but he related what he did see to Sheriff Graham. Mr. Twist was awesome that night! Jack couldn’t believe it, but he was actually proud of his old man! He was also grateful to his dad for agreeing to allow Ennis to return to the ranch. “Well, we got us a barn to build,” Mr. Twist replied when Jack thanked him profusely.
Jack allowed the “slide show” to end just when he heard a tapping at his door. “Son, you asleep?” It was Mrs. Twist. “No, ma, come on in.” Mrs. Twist entered her son’s room with a tray. She fixed him some hot milk and included a few peanut butter cookies. Jack sat upright on his bed and reached for the glass of milk. “Ma, you didn’t have to go to the trouble,” Jack began, as he took a sip of the warm milk. “I wanted to do it, Baby!” Mrs. Twist spoke softly as she placed the tray down on Jack’s desk. “You lived through an awful ordeal, and I would be a bad mother if I didn’t do everything I could to make you comfortable.” Jack’s mom caressed his hair. “How you holdin’ up?” Jack was silent as he thought about Leroy’s last words. He was grateful that in the confusion no one even thought to mention Leroy’s remark about him being queer. He hoped no one would remember. “I’m okay, ma!” Jack lied. He was quite flustered, terrified, even, but would never admit it to his mother. He refused to say anything to worry her. Mrs. Twist nodded and sat down on the bed beside her son. “I’m sure you’re glad Ennis is back with us,” Mrs. Twist exclaimed with obvious pleasure. Jack brightened at the mention of his friend’s name. “Yeah, I sure am glad, ma!” “Well, so am I, son. I was getting quite attached to Ennis. He seems like part of the family now." Mrs. Twist made a face and turned her head to Jack’s door. “Your father told me last week that he wouldn’t allow Ennis back. I’m shocked that he changed his mind.” Mrs. Twist looked her son dead in the eyes. “Jack, do you have any idea why your father would let Ennis back here?” Jack thought for a moment. “We need help around here, ma. Pa may be stubborn and can be down right mean, but he’s also practical. He knows that Ennis will do the work of seven men, and won’t expect to be paid for it.” Mrs. Twist seemed to accept Jack’s explanation. She rose from the bed and moved for the door. “You try and get some sleep, now. You may have a busy day ahead of you.”
Jack waited until he heard his mom close the door to her bedroom. He took the tray from his desk and headed downstairs to the kitchen. Once there, Jack found a clean glass, removed a few cookies from the jar, and placed them on the tray. He headed out into the cold and moved silently toward the basement. Ennis deserved some warm milk and cookies. Jack only hoped his mom didn’t beat him to it. He also hoped to get lucky that night. He was in the mood for a certain kind of sweets: something only Ennis could give him to take the edge off.
Topic: Introducing the "Jack with Ennis" Fan Fic Game - the BetterMost Edition (Read 2159053 times)