Taking Chances, by E. L. Van Hine and L.H. Nicoll

[MaineWriter]

From the end of Chapter 48:

She went out, pulling the curtain to give them privacy, and shut the door most of the way closed. Ellery leaned back over and slid his arm around Ennis’s shoulder once more, nuzzling his uninjured cheek. “I care about you, boy.... made my heart leap when Carol told me the ambulance called about you. You got ta be more careful.” He moved his head, pressing his lips against Ennis’s in a soft, gentle kiss, and then whispered against his mouth. “Promise me you’re goin to be more careful.”

“I promise,” Ennis said, tears standing in his eyes.


L

[MaineWriter]

Chapter 49, a few little white lies:

“I... I dunno. Listen Ellery maybe I should tell you this now....”

“Wassat?”

“When I came here last week I tol everyone I am from Sage.”

“Yeah, little town in the southeast somewheres.”

“Right. Well I am. Er, was. It isn’t where I’m livin now. I lied about that kinda.”

Ellery looked at him soberly.

“I live up in Riverton with my daughter now. Lived in that area for well, almost twenty years. Sorry about that. Didn’t want anyone ta know.”

“S’alright, Ennis. Bill tol me that last Saturday. He had Wayne run a state police check on ya last Friday night an got an address on ya. Little white lies are part a the warp an woof a bein queer in this day an age, darlin.”

Ennis blushed. “Oh. Ya knew then.”

“Yeah, but it makes me feel good you told me. Don’t worry none about it. I tell people I was second in my class at college all the time.”

“You wasn’t?”

“Nope, I was first in my class, but that tends ta piss people off so ... little white lies.”


L

[MaineWriter]

Chapter 50, we learn about (don't really meet) Lauren for the first time:

“Hello?” he said, a bit too loudly. “Oh. Wayne. What’s up Wayne? You never call me here.” He listened, giving Ennis a puzzled look, mouthing the words “the bar” as he nodded at the phone. “Did you check the apartment? Okay, okay, just... do this Wayne. Open like usual, you got a backup tender or someone who comes in later? That Lauren fella, right. Well book him to closin, tell him he can close at two. If Bill shows up... shit, well... then problem solved, right? Yeah, call me back if ya need anything.” He listened a bit longer. “You scheduled to open tomorrow? Well tell you what, I know it’s Friday night, see if Lauren’ll work with you, an tell him there’s an extra fifty bucks in it for him if he stays ta closin. Yeah yeah... you two, both a you. An if Bill has a problem with that just tell him I authorized it and tough shit, he wasn’t there ta decide. Okay, you take it easy Wayne. Have a good night now.”


L

[synne]

From chapter 38. This is beautiful

Ennis put the knife down, carefully, and sank into the kitchen chair, hands over his face, suddenly trembling as though with some long-delayed shock. “Jack – Jesus Jack.... “ He felt in his shirt pocket for his talisman, the journal, and wiping his hands carefully on his denims he flipped through the pages, past the entry he had read, so long ago, in Ellery’s bed.

“July 22: Ennis stayed up on the allotmint through breakfast an I about died without him. Went into the tent and just laid there smellin the blankets. This boy is not sane if he can’t be without it every six seven hours, and summer is wearing on too fast. Crazy about that boy. Wonder if he’s crazy about me.

Ennis put his head down in his hands, tears leaking through them, dry sobs making his shoulders heave, but only small sounds emerged. He was crazy about Jack... mad crazy, and didn’t know it, didn’t know it...he had stayed up on the mountain one morning, just so that he could think without Jack there, because whenever he was in camp, his eyes would follow that restless step, watching his body move, wanting him to come over and say something, to get within grabbing distance so he could knock off his hat, rile him, pull him down and over and get him under him... his breath came hard, like fire in his chest, a wave of grief fully as powerful as the wave of pleasure that had washed over him on the sofa, like the other shoe dropping from a world of shadowy pain.

ahh, I just went through this, I didn't realize how difficult  would be to read it again ( heavy feelings)

[Lumière]

I haven't had time to start the re-read yet!

It's great to come here and read all these quotes! 

[Marge_Innavera]

I haven't had time to start the re-read yet!  It's great to come here and read all these quotes! 

I read it all in such a hurry originally, it's like reading it for the first time. Ennis' enduring love for Jack as well as his evolving feelings for Ellery both come through loud and clear.

[Bigheart]

Ennis' enduring love for Jack come through loud and clear.

That's what I have always felt too, through out the entire saga

[notBastet]

Another interesting use of the word "partner," this time from Chapter 17:

“You comin, Ennis?” Ellery looked at Ennis expectantly.

“You want me ta?”

“Yer my partner on this case, as well as bein an important witness and all that. Besides Pete likes ya. Maybe you can help me get some answers outta the boy.”

Ennis slipped off the stool, keenly aware that Bill was watching both of them, taking in every word. “Partner, huh,” Bill said, but Ellery had already turned and headed through the empty back room toward the stairs, Ennis, as usual, trailing him as he went up.


L

I'm behind in the reread and all... but this is good foreshadowing of Bill's jealousy/anger toward Ennis.  Ironic, given that Bill is the one that brought the two of them together.

[notBastet]

And thirdly, I had the need to branch out, and to do other things.  Creatively, as a novelist, writing within the "universe" of BBM, even though I had expanded it greatly into a new territory with dozens of new original characters, still came with a constraint.  That constraint, in the follow-on tales, is not so onerous, and also alleviates some of the demand on time.   But I yearn to do new things, in a venue and with fewer natural knowledge limits - to write once more about history and music, the modern world, and stop stretching my mind back to how things were in that long ago time of the mid 1980's, correcting for the way the world has changed.

It has been a wonderful experience - but not one I can continue indefinitely, no matter how much others desire it.  It is simply not possible to do.

Ah Louise, we want Happy!Louise just as much as we want Happy!Ennis.
 
You've given us so much already.
 

[Bigheart]

Ah Louise, we want Happy!Louise just as much as we want Happy!Ennis.
 
You've given us so much already.
 

Totally agree