The Bettermost Drabblefest: Please Join In!

[mariez]

. . . .
“I’m ready” Ennis replied.  He stepped outside, locked the door of the trailer and went to the truck, holding the duffel bag tightly in this hands.  After all, in the blink of an eye, anything could happen.  Anything at all…...

You got me good with this one, Marl.  So powerful - and beautifully written. 

. . . . .
     “One day, seemed no different than any other day, went to the post office a pick up the mail.  Got back a postcard, one word stamped on it in red, and my whole future was gone in the blink of an eye.”

Clyde, that's the first image that popped into my mind when I saw that prompt.  The spareness of that last sentence is perfect. 

Marie

[mariez]

July 27, 2007
Lazy L Farm, Quanah, TX

Jack smoothed the sheet as he tucked it around the edge of the mattress. It was pale blue—it reminded him of the color of a robin’s egg. He remembered the first sheets he and Ennis had ever bought together, way back when, when they bought this bed. “A man’s bed,” said the salesman, and they got men’s sheets—plaid—to christen it. Jack smiled, thinking of Ennis’s surprise. “I’m used ta white, Jack,” he said shyly. “I ain’t ever slept on colored sheets.”

He fluffed the pillow and propped it against the headboard. How many hours of conversation had they shared in this bed? Pillow talk, his mother used to call it, one of the few times she ever alluded to the intimate conversations that lovers share. He doubted she had many of those conversations with her husband—his father—but she knew he and Ennis shared countless private moments. “It makes me happy ta see you happy, Jack,” she had said on her first visit to the farm. “He’s a nice boy an loves ya very much.”

A soft noise startled Jack and he turned to see Ennis standing in the doorway. “Penny for yer thoughts, cowboy,” he said.

Jack shook his head. “Nothin special,” he said, “just thinking bout my mama.”

Ennis nodded. “Yeah, I’ve been havin a longing fer her too,” he said. “Guess when ya get older, people from the past are on yer mind.”

Jack smoothed the coverlet and stepped back. “One thing I’ve noticed bout memories—ya tend ta remember the good stuff and forget the bad.”

“Memory amnesia.”

“What?” asked Jack.

“Memory amnesia. That’s what it’s called. Memory amnesia.”

“Oh.” He paused. “Are ya kiddin?”

“Have I ever kidded you?” said Ennis, with a wink.

Jack looked at him, shaking his head and trying to hide a smile. “Let’s go eat,” he said, heading out the door.

(323 words)

Leslie, you make my day when the Lazy L boys are talking.  I've given up being amazed at the non-coincidences I've experienced on these boards.  Yesterday, I mentioned in the Recs thread that these are my comfort fics and that I would probably be reading a chapter last night.  And, I did.  I read the chapter where J&E buy a new bed, of course.    

Marie

[ifyoucantfixit]

          Next morning after their breakfast of scrambled eggs, and bacon.  They set out for the piece of ground Ms Proulx was trying to look over.  It was way up on the high side of the mountain.  He figured she must need some land to put some animals on.  But either way it was none of his never mind.  She said "Ennis has there ever been a cabin up here on this mountain?"  He just looked at her and puzzled.  "Maam I don't see how, this is government land."  "Well evidently some of it is privately held,  and it has come up for sale she stated."  "Well i'll be darned."  He said, without much thinking.  "I always thought it was held just by the Federal Lands Management people."
         "Well there is a small parcel that is owned by some family named
Aguirre.  The old man has died and the estate is trying to settle on it, by getting rid of this piece of land, that none of the survivors wanted."
         "Well I can hardly believe it."  He told her, "thats the man me and Jack worked for that summer."  She looked shocked at the statement he'd just made.  She wanted to know "what was there the summer they worked up here. '  He just paused and said, "nothin, just us and the sheep maam."
          "Never said nothing about owning any of the land.  Just mentioned the allotments, and thats where we were pitchin our main camp." 
          "I guess its possible he bought some of it later then.  I don't have any idea what he did after that year.  Never saw him agin." 
          "Is there anything, else you can remember about this place Ennis?  She continued.  "No maam " he told her, "nothin, at all." 
           All of this talk about that summer up here on the mountain, brought that familiar longing to his gut.  The needing and wanting for what had been before.  That familiar, beautiful robin`s egg blue of Jack's eyes and the times they spent together laying in the bed rolls.  After they had made love for hours and hours.  They would be completely sated and exhausted, just laying there looking into each others eyes, and talkin low.  About nothing at all.  Just listening to the sounds of the land, and the voice of the one person in the world they wanted to hear. 
            "Well I guess we better head on out she said, would like to get there pretty quick.  Would like to look it over pretty good, before we head back down."

[Cameron]

Cowboy 30, thank you so much again!!! I do so enjoy it when you come by and leave your wonderful comments.
I am so glad that you do enjoy my story.

 

[Cameron]

Marie, thank you so much again for all of your wonderful comments and for your awesome drabbles.

Congratulations on 1000, Marie!!!!!!

Now, how about that party!!

Enjoy!!!!

[mariez]

                   "Well there is a small parcel that is owned by some family named
Aguirre.  The old man has died and the estate is trying to settle on it, by getting rid of this piece of land, that none of the survivors wanted."
 . . . . .
    Just listening to the sounds of the land, and the voice of the one person in the world they wanted to hear. 
.....

Well, that's an interesting turn of events.  And what a beautiful sentence this is!  I was glad to see a continuation of your story, Janice.

Thanks,
Marie

[mariez]

Marl - what a wonderful surprise!  And you got my favorites - chocolate cake and sparkling wine!   

I certainly will enjoy!   

Thanks so much - 
Marie

[Clyde-B]

     The white pickup with robin’s egg blue trim sped down Black Snake road rooster-tailing dust in its wake.   
     “Ennis, do you ever have a longing to find someone else?”
     “No ma’am.”  He fished a cigarette out of his pocket; lit it.
     “I’m surprised.  Jack having been so important to you.”
      “Couldn’t never replace him.”
      “I didn’t mean that.”
      “Where’d I find somebody?  Pete’s Restaurant?  Alma and Monroe’s grocery?”  He took a puff, flicked the ash out the window .  “Never no good at pillow talk anyway.”
     She sighed.  “Nor was I.”
     “How many times you say you was married?”
     “Too many.”

      100 words

[Clyde-B]

Ah Clyde, what a talented drabbler you are! ... how come you never wrote anything on the Jack+Ennis thread when we were on IMDb?  You've been keeping it a secret from us all this time.

I'm impressed that you can stick to exactly 100 words.
 

Thank you Susie.

I love the Jack+Ennis thread, but the prompts here make me focus, narrow down my possibilities.  Otherwise I literally don't know where to start.   

P.S. I love your new pic.  It's much more vivacious. More like I would expect to actually see you!

[Clyde-B]

I can just hear Ennis saying this, Clyde.  Glad to see this continue...
 

Thanks Marie, but I have no clue where we're going here.
The other story line I did was dragging me behind it like a stampeding horse,
but this one --