TITLE: The Butterfly
AUTHOR: dmcintoshtx
RATING: R
PAIRING: Jack and Ennis
WARNING: none
DISCLAIMER: These characters belong to Annie Proulx; not me.
SUMMARY: A tiny insignificant thing changes Ennis's mind.
THE BUTTERFLY
"It's five thirty and I'm outta here!" Jack waved at the
receptionist and headed for the door.
"Wait a minute, Mr. Twist. You have one more customer. She's
waiting for you in your office."
"This late?" he grumbled and made a face but went back down the hall
to his little office at the end.
The young lady sitting there looked startling familiar but it
couldn't be her. No way could it be her.
He sat at his desk and said, "How can I help you Miss. You
interested in farm equipment?" Couldn't be her. Just looks like her.
"Actually, no, I'm not. I met you once a long time ago, do you
Remember me, Mr. Twist?"
The trembling, inside became more and more difficult to control.
Couldn't be her.
"I'm ...not sure. You're not from around here?"
"No. I'm from Riverton. Riverton, Wyoming." Junior was so nervous;
she couldn't decide where to start.
He stared at her for long moments. Long dark hair, big brown eyes; a
real sweetness about her.
"You're Junior?" It was more a statement than a question.
"Yes. I need to talk with you. It's really important but this
probably isn't the right place." She noticed the framed photo of
Jack, Lureen, and Bobby and felt uncomfortable. Maybe she shouldn't
be here. This might be a mistake. She took a deep breath and went
on. "It's...private. Is there someplace we could go? Get a cup of
coffee, maybe?"
Fear gripped him. What was she doing here? What could she possibly
want? "Is it Ennis? Is he alright?"
She saw the fear in his eyes and knew she had made the right decision
to come here.
"Yes and no. He's alright for now...but we really need to
talk...privately."
"Yes, of course." He stood, got his jacket and walked her out the
side door. "There's a coffee shop across the street. Food is lousy
so there isn't much business this time of day but the coffee is
pretty good."
They crossed the street to the cafe and took a seat in a booth in the
rear. Coffee was placed in front of them and she began.
"You and Daddy have known each other a long time."
"Yes; since 63...A long time."
"I remember when you used to come up and go fishing with him. He was
sooo happy then. Only time I ever did see him really happy." She
sipped her coffee.
"Those were good times. Still are; whenever we can get away. Not
all that often any more."
"You probably know him better than anyone else. Better than any of
us. You're the only friend I've ever heard him talk about. Probably
the only real friend he ever had."
"Is something wrong with him? Is he sick? Hurt?" he wanted to grab
her by the shoulders and shake her and yell at her, 'Say what you
came to say, damn it; you're scaring me!'
"He's not hurt or anything like that; or sick that I know of. He's
just so...miserable; so unhappy." She made eye contact at this
point. She had to see how he was taking this.
He swallowed the lump in his throat and asked, "Did he ask you to
come here?"
"No. He'd kill me if he knew I was here." She assured him. "I just
thought that maybe, you might know...why? Why is he so unhappy?"
No answer was forthcoming so she went on. "I went to see him a few
days ago, and ...I'm sure he'd been crying. His eyes were all red;
he just looked so miserable. I've been trying to get him to get out
of that trailer once in a while but he won't budge. It's work, then
the trailer. That's it. He used to date a little but not in years.
He's just so ...alone." She took a tissue out of her purse and
wiped her eyes.
"Did you ask him?" That was a silly question and he knew it. Ennis
would never tell his secret. He was stalling for
time, trying to figure out what to do.
"I've asked him a million times. All he'll say is stuff that don't
make no sense. Stuff like, he's had his chance and he blew it; and
it's too late for him. He won't go into detail, but I kinda got the
feeling...maybe it was you he was talking about. Is that
possible?"
"I can't really talk with you about this." he lowered his head and
stared into his coffee cup.
"I know. I know. I didn't expect you to. I just needed to let you
know, I guess, that's he's so miserable and unhappy. I thought
maybe...I don't know what I thought. I guess I thought that you
needed to know. "
"You came all the way down here to tell me this?" He looked at her
again.
"Yes. Yes, I did. Daddy is...I don't know. Mr. Twist. I just
know he's getting worse and I'm afraid for him." She was wiping
tears away again. "I know you got your life down here and
everything...but...he doesn't have anyone. Anyone at all except
for those few visits you pay him each year." She left it at that.
He didn't know what to say. What could he say? He could not have
this conversation with Ennis's daughter; could not.
"I have tried so hard over the years to..." he stopped. Ennis
would not approve of him talking to Junior about these things.
"Then try again!" she was adamant. "Whatever it takes. Please. You
have to do something." She was desperate.
"He really in that bad a shape?"'
"Yes! You have no idea. Please. If you can do something, anything,
you have to do it."
"You might not like it if I do." He warned her.
"If you don't...I don't know what's gonna happen to him. How long
can a person live in misery? How long can a person drink himself
into a stupor every night? If you don't do something...I don't
know...how much time he'll have left." She looked at her watch and
said, "I have to go. My flight leaves in an hour and I can't miss
it. No one knows I'm here. I want to get back before anyone knows
I'm gone. She stood to leave. "If you can do anything, anything at
all, I don't care what it is; who's feathers get ruffled. Do it.
And do it soon before it's too late."
"I can drive you to the airport." He offered standing up and
dropping some bills on the table for the waitress.
"Not necessary." she said walking towards the door. "I made
arrangements with the taxi driver to be back here. There he is
now."
He walked her back across the street. "Please, Mr. Twist. I
wouldn't have come here if I wasn't really worried about Daddy."
"I understand." He held the taxi door for her. "I appreciate that
you came all this way to tell me this. And I promise you this, I'll
do whatever I can possibly do to rectify this situation."
He closed the taxi door and she was off.
He drove to the nearest bar. He sat alone at a table, away from most
of the noise and drank. After the third drink, he'd made his
decision. He went home, had a long talk with Lureen, packed his
truck and left. He drove all the way to Cheyenne and stopped at a
motel for the night. The next morning he arrived in Riverton at
Ennis trailer part just before noon. It was Saturday morning and
Ennis truck was gone. He always did his grocery shopping and running
around Saturday mornings so Jack decided to sit on the steps and wait.
He didn't have long to wait. The old truck pulled up and stopped.
Ennis waited a spell then climbed down from his truck.
He looked around nervously, to see if anyone was watching. "Wasn't
expectin company" he said, dark eyes peering out from under the brim
of his hat. He proceeded to unload groceries. Jack walked over and
gave him a hand, hefting two cases of beer on his shoulder and in a
voice low and intimate said just three words. "I love you." He
followed him to the door.
Ennis dropped his keys. Dark eyes nailed blue eyes. "You come up
here just to say that?" he opened the door and went in, placing his
bags on the counter. Jack followed and set the beer down on the
floor.
"Uh huh. It needed sayin." Jack stood, hands on hips ready for an
argument.
"OK. It's said. Don't change nothin now, does it?" Ennis brushed past
him and walked back out to the truck for another load. Jack followed.
"Thought it might." he said and sat himself down in a lawn chair.
Ennis brought the last two bags stuck them inside and sat down
opposite him. "It don't."
They sat in silence for a while, neither willing to give up his side
of this impossible, nearly 20 year old, debate.
A beautiful yellow butterfly flittered by, stopping for a moment on
Ennis's knee. They watched it flitter off across the driveway and
saw the cat as she pounced and got the thing. One gulp and it was
gone.
"A thing of beauty, gone like that, in an instant." Jack
mused. "That could be either one of us. Car crash, plane crash, bar
fight, illness. Anything at all could happen in an instant and one
of us could be gone. Then what, Cowboy?" They watched the cat lick
her paws and walk off under the neighbors trailer.
Jack went on; this time with his eyes glued to Ennis slumped
form. "What would you do, Ennis, if word came to you that I was
dead?" He stopped, his words stinging in his throat. "What would I
do If I got news that you were gone?"
Ennis stood up and went into the trailer. Jack followed. He found
Ennis furiously slamming canned goods into the pantry.
"It's time, Ennis. You know it as well as I do. We can't go on
tearing each others guts out like this any longer."
Ennis turned to him, tears streaming down his cheeks. "I don't wanna
live like this any more. I CAN'T!"
"Me neither. So let's do something 'bout it. Let's do it now."
Jack went to him and took him in his arms. "Haven't we punished
ourselves enough? Can't we just take what's left of our lives and
try and make a life together?"
Ennis was rigid one minute and shaking the next. "I never wanted to
be apart from you, Jack. It killed me inside that very first time we
said good-bye in Signal. And each time we said it, it got worse."
He rubbed his face into Jack's shoulder. "If you still want to do
it...you know, get a place, I mean...well I ain't gonna say no
again. Not to nothin you ever want again. I promise you that."
Jack held on tight and said a silent prayer, "Thank you God, and
Please don't let this be a dream!"
"We can go any place you want, Ennis. Or stay around here so you
can see the girls; whatever you want."
"Right now, I just want you to hold me. And don't never let go,
Jack. I don't never want to be alone again!"
"I won't let go, Cowboy. I promise. You're mine now, and I'm
yours. Ain't nothin never gonna change that."
They stood together for some time, just holding on while Ennis hummed
a silent little tune.
The End