Mid April 1988 Ennis and Jack are up early preparing their usual hearty breakfast, today potato pancakes with onion and garlic simmering in olive oil, sausage, eggs and homemade biscuits from a large batch of dough made once a week. Both standing on the counter, Jack is slicing fresh cantaloupe, Ennis at the frying pan.
“Hey Ennis, know what coming on ta next month?”
Ennis focusing on the potatoes. “Nope…can’t imagine.”
“Ya have no idea?….nothing?”
“Nope”
“Ennis …what year is it?”
“Accordin’ at that calendar in the wall its 1988, thought you’d know that”
“Ennis….Don’t ya know…” Jack take the bowel of fruit to the table and sits down. Ennis turns off the stove, takes the plate with the potatoes and one the eggs and sausage to the table, sits across from Jack. Ennis looks back at him.
“What is it Jack?…what’s got your britches in a bunch?
“Next month…next month be 25 years since we met up, working up at Brokeback.”
“Damn!….25 years!…..don’t seem possible….Seems like a lot more happen’d than work.” Ennis laughs.
“Is why you’s sittin’ there across from me.” Jack smiles back at Ennis. “Sure enough is. Ennis I was thinking’, this calls fer a calibration, get ourselves all dressed up real sharp, mebe even get ourselves new suits, eat up in a nice restaurant, and then….”
“Hotel!…..New suits!” Ennis look back at Jack with apprehension.
“Yeah we can stay in Denver! Hell we go ever couple of months anyway….have us a real fancy dinner, get ourselves some real nice suits, none of that cowboy honky-tonk sh..t, we can stay in a nice hotel. We’re goin’ at make a trip there next couple a weeks anyway, we can go see that new movie “Young Guns” then pick out a pair of real sharp suits to celebrate in, go back next month dressed at the nines fer the big day.
Ennis looks wide eyed. “Sound like it might cost a lot.”
“Ennis, this is big, 25 years! Be worth every penny. We’ll get us a real nice room….not like that fleabag we were at in Riverton.”
“Don’t remember ya mindin’ so much.” Ennis grins.
“You neither.”
Ennis look intently at Jack just a hint of fear on his face. “Jack, you ….you really want too…stay….”
“Yeah Ennis I do…I would like that. Don’t worry it’ll be ok…you’ll see.” Jack starts in on his eggs.
“Alright….Jack…if that’s what ya want…” Ennis looks down at his plate begins eating enjoying his meal.
Jack grins back at Ennis, then to his plate.. “Thing is don’t know the exact date… that we met…so I thought we’d just pick…..”
“May 9th.”
“What? ” Jack looks up at Ennis.
“May 9th…it was May 9th. ” Ennis mouth full still on his meal.
What?…you mean?”
“Yup….May 9th…was a Thursday.”
“You’re sure?”
Ennis reach back pulls out his wallet, opens it. In a plastic sleeve next to photos of his daughters he takes out a worn piece note pad folded in quarters with advertising letter head:, carefully unfolds it, hands it to Jack. Jack reads:
Shayde Seed & Feed
11255 State Highway 789
Riverton, WY 82501
(307) 856-5543
Mr. Joe Agguire
135 E. Main street
Signal
Thursday , May 9 8.00 o’clock
“So Ennis …You saved this all these years?” Jack feeling the depth of this revelation.
“Eat up food getting’ cold.” Ennis looks back down at his plate spearing a sausage with his fork.
“Ennis ya had….”
“Had with me when I went at Signal…musta just left it….”
“Fer 25 years!”
“Don’t mean nothing’ ….can’t a fella carry an old piece of paper in his wallet….Huh?…Did have no place else ta put up at Brockback….Just never cleaned it out is all….now eat up.”
“Ennis, that’s the wallet I got ya fer your birthday couple of years ago, remember when ya turned 42 couple of years ago, forty two! Let’s see that would make you….”
“What is this math day….Huh?….What year is it?….How old am I? ….Sides ya got a couple of months on me, we were both born in 1944. Come on now eat up….foods gonna get cold.” Ennis shovels a large piece of potato in his mouth.
“The wallet before you birthday one was old but it wasn’t the same as ya had up on Broke…”
“So a man can’t carry something’ in his private wallet….without a body getting’ all worked up……Huh?
Sides it was ….was ….” Ennis looks down.
“Was what Ennis.” Jack said pushing against his knee, more serious. “You c’n tell me….s ‘alright”
“Was the only thing I had left….that summer that we was …only thing I could take out…and…look at…to know I was really there…that…..we…I’m mean didn’t even know if I’d ever ….if I’d ever see ya again…Damn you Jack Twist!” Ennis’s eyes shut tight, biting his lower lip, eyes starting to fill.
Jack rises from his chair goes to Ennis pulls his face to his side. Ennis knife and fork in each hand still in a charade of trying to eat, leans hard into Jack. Jack gently holds Ennis’s head running his hand through his hair leans down and kisses the top of his head burying his face on Ennis.
“Ennis….Ennis look …this note getting’ all beat up in yer wallet, this…this is… important…we should frame it. That be ok ….with you?”
Ennis responds with a barely perceptible affirmative nod.
“Look, we could put it in in that picture we have of us in our room, in the corner , still see our faces . That be alright?”
Ennis gathering up some bravado. “Go ahead, do whatever ya want….just an old piece of paper….just….just don’t loose it Jack.”
“Don’t worry none, put it in there right now, be safe”
“Your food…”
“Only take a sec, just bend the tabs, be right back.”
Ennis wipes his eyes, gets up takes Jack plate to the stove, turns it on to about 220 degrees, sets it in.
In their room Jack hangs up the picture, stands back admiring his handiwork. Just a simple photo, two smiling men arm in arm in the mountains taken on their first trip in the Colorado Rockies after they moved to the ranch, now with a tattered handwritten note in the corner that lead Ennis to him so long ago, looking back in silent testimony through the journey of their lives in a wooden frame. Tear rolling down his cheek Jack remembers what he himself took ,saved and protected from their days at Brokeback.
“Jack! Are ya coming in here an eat er ya gonna stay in there hangin’ pictures all day! Gotta a lot a work at do today.”
“Coming Ennis .” Jack wipes his face with the back of his hand walks back to the kitchen, runs the same hand down Ennis’s face, then across his shoulders as he sits down. In silence, only the sounds of forks and knifes on plates, jeans and boots entwined, two cowboys relish their meal and companionship.
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