****SPOILERS****
Ennis always enjoyed his rare nights out, because it lessened his sense of loneliness that had been the routine of his life, especially since Jack's death, almost 10 months ago, to the day. By about 9:30 p.m. Ennis was already feeling the effects of the alcohol, and while he was standing by the pool tables at the rear of the bar, he could see out of the corner of his eye, someone, in the shadows, and almost completely enveloped by the cigarette smoke hanging in the air, a figure, rather tall, and wearing a black Resistol. Every once in a while, this fellow would look over in Ennis's direction, but as soon as Ennis would make the slightest move to make eye contact, he would would then quickly look away, and focus his attention on either the game of pool, or converse with another patron Once in a while when the man got up to take a piss, he seemd to walk with a noticeable limp, as if he had some injury to his right leg. Ennis just thought it must be some stranger passin' through, and true to his laconic nature, wasn't about to go up to a complete stranger and start up a conversation, especially with the way he was feeling tonight. There was an odd, almost weird feeling that came over him, about this guy, but Ennis couldn't quite put his finger on it, and brushed it off, as some alcohol-induced fantasy, and ordered another whiskey and beer.
By about 12:30 a.m., Ennis decided it was probably best not to try to drive back out to his trailer, since this new home was another 17 miles further out of town, and although he knew he wasn't totally "shit-faced", he also knew he was in no condidtion to drive, and a "DUI" wouldn't help him in his ranching career, due to the travelling involved to get to some of the round-ups at different times of the year
Since he had stayed at the Black and Blue Eagle Bar, longer than he usually had of late, Ennis decided that the only place to stay was the Siesta Motel, which of course held some painful memories for him, but it was the closest, and, it was after all, only a short walk to the edge of town, and the main highway, where the motel was located. Besides, Ennis thought to himself: "A bit of fresh air on a warm June evening, is probably what I need right now." As he made his way to the motel, Ennis thought he saw the "stranger" he had just seen in the bar, heading into the motel office. "So he's an out-of-towner", Ennis thought. As Ennis got closer to the motel, he noticed one of the vehicles in the lot, had an out-of-state plate, which of course wasn't in itself unusual, but he couldn't help but notice that it was from Texas. The truck wasn't familiar, but Ennis assumed that it must belong to the stranger that he saw earlier. Then the words, "Maybe Texas" came back to haunt him, and Ennis felt the familiar pain that came with such sudden, unexpected flashbacks.
The wind had picked-up from the southwest as Ennis headed toward his room, and he could almost smell that old familiar smell of mountain sage, which sometimes happened if the wind was coming from the right direction, and in his mind, he was immediately taken back to those beautiful days up on Brokeback so long ago. Once he got to his room, Ennis just paused, and reflected on that night, some 16 years ago, when he and Jack had stayed here and planned their first of many "fishin' trips" that was to be their routine over the succeeding years.
All of a sudden there was a knock at the door. Ennis's first thought, was, "Who the hell would be knockin' at this time of night. I signed in proper and all". Again, there was another knock. Ennis reluctantly opened the door a crack, and saw the stranger standing there, looking down, black Resistol hiding his face. "What do ya want, bud?" said Ennis, obviously a bit irritated since he was definitely ready to get some needed sleep.
The reply, a bit tentative, yet strangely familiar, sent shivers down Ennis's back as he said: "Friend, it's me, Jack."
Ennis couldn't believe his ears and flung the door open to see that it was indeed Jack, although there was something different about his appearance. He now carried a pronounced scar above his left eye, which looked like it was the result of some kind of accident or even "worse", a thought which which Ennis couldn't bear to entertain at the moment, as visions of the corpse of Earl Carnahan, suddenly came back to his mind.
Ennis just said, "Jack f***** Twist", and then grabbed him and pulled him into the room. As they embraced, Jack said, "I had to come and see ya, friend. So much ta tell ya." Ennis could now smell along with the mountain sage, even the faintest hint of campfire smoke, which had permeated Jack's old familiar green coat, and the familiar, musky smell of Jack's sweat which made him wonder for a moment "Doesn't he ever get that coat cleaned?" Of course he didn't care, as he was again with the love of his life, and for some unknown reason, he was still very much alive, unless, he thought, it was a ghost that he was holding in his arms.
Ennis was waiting for Jack to explain what had really happened, half-expecting to wake up, and find that this was all some cruel dream. No, it wasn't a dream. He and Jack just sat on the bed, holding each other, and then looking into one another's eyes. Ennis then decided to say in person, what he had been longing to say to Jack, ever since he said it, with a sad and lonely breath, as he held those two shirts close to his face, some 10 months ago....
tbc....
