SPOILERSWow, those last lines... I was really shocked when Jack hit Bobby with the belt. I didn't see that coming at all, and it made me mad as hell. I hope this is the last time he does that and that they are going to be each other's rock. But things were going so well for Bobby in the shed with Junior, right, what do you think happened? Oh God, I feel so sorry for the Twist boys.
Yeah, as I said in my comment, that last scene with Bobby and Jack was gut-wrenching and heartbreaking (but, I saw a glimmer of hope there for the two of them). I didn't expect Jack to take off his belt,yeah that surprised me - but I do understand what Kumari is showing us. Was Jack angry? Well, yeah...but I don't think that's the reason for the belt. Jack is scared to death for Bobby and for himself - and he just doesn't know where to go with that. And I do get the feeling that he was, unfortunately, repeating some really bad parenting that was given to him as a child. I do hope his violence and Bobby's reaction was a wake-up call - it seemed like it could be. Of all the characters in this story, I feel sorriest for Bobby - he's so damn
young and trying so hard not to be.
As far as how things were going with Junior in the shed - I think Bobby had already been drinking when they went into the shed, and he had more to drink to give himself courage at her challenge that he was "too young." I do wonder how they left each other.....will Ennis find Junior passed out and throwing up, too?
I find the Bobby/Jack, Ennis/Junior, Jack/Ennis, Bobby/Junior parallels fascinating, and brilliantly done:
Junior took Bobby’s hand and kissed it. “You’re all wrong for me,” she whispered......“Yeah, I’m wrong for the fake Perfection Junior, but not for the real you.”
....
I honestly thought that Jack was gonna spill the beans on him and Ennis during the fight with Lureen, especially when she mentioned the 'gang of whores'. I think it's telling that he never told her about it. Had he already imagined divorcing her and moving there? Was he already envisioning something with Ennis?
Hmmm.. ya know, no, I didn't get the feeling Jack wanted to spill the beans about Ennis. I have more of the feeling that what's happening between he and Ennis is so special, so new, and so tentative, that he
doesn't have the desire to share it yet - even in a fit of anger at Lureen. Hard to explain, but I have the feeling he doesn't think she's "worthy" of hearing about it - like it's the only "real" part of him and he doesn't want her to know - she doesn't
deserve to know, because he feels so disrespected by her in their marriage. Does that make any sense?
The whole Lysol/Febreze conversation was adorable. How cute is Jack, being shy and all, looking down at his shoes... He really is deeply in love, but deeply troubled at the same time. I loved how he asked when they could see each other again, I could almost see that hopeful gaze of his. You know, Ennis keeps amazing me, in this chapter with the Febreze joke, not shying away from what is going on between them and what they have already shared.
Yep, adorable is the word, and, yeah, I do love the sort of role reversal, with Jack being shy and Ennis cracking the joke....I have the feeling we haven't seen the last of these role reversals, so to speak.....
While Jack and Lureen's marriage is volatile and on the verge of crumbling, that of Ennis and Alma seems alright. They don't argue that much, just seem to be stuck in a rut, despite the trip they took to Ocean City. LOL. However, no way that marriage is gonna make it now that Ennis and Jack have discovered each other in more ways than they could have possibly imagined. Well, ok, there are more ways still to discover, and hopefully we will find out all we can about that in the next chapter...
Yeah, I think rut is probably a good description, not unusual for a lot of marriages after a number of years. But, unlike Jack and Lureen, Alma and Ennis have no animosity for each other; in fact, just the opposite - you can see that they respect each other and do love each other in their own way. I like this Alma a lot - she's funny and sincere and I think she's going to be a lot tougher than she may appear to be.
I've said it before - the shit is going to hit the fan in this story on so many levels, in so many ways, and with such intensity ....damn. And, yeah, I don't have any idea what will happen in the next chapter, there are just too many possibilities!
Was it about a month between chapters? Not too bad, at all!
Marie