ENNIS
By
Tom Forster
Chapter
11
The winter was
cold and snowy. Ennis and Billy continued to work the ranch like
nothing had changed. Billy did finally move into the main house,
but only because the cold drove him out of the bunk house. At
first Ella tried to ignore him, but he was slowly able to win her
over. Ennis drove back and forth every day from his
trailer. A few weeks after their argument, Billy showed up at
Ennis’ trailer late one night. They were together for the first time in
weeks, afterward they lay in bed and talked. Ennis stared up at
the ceiling.
“I think things
are workin’ just fine as they are. I don’t see no need to change
‘em. Nobody’s got to know I own half that place.”
Billy decided
not to tell him property records were open to the public. Ennis
would have to figure it out on his own.
“Yep, it’s goin
along fine, but this time of year is the easy part. I’m thinkin’
about what we’re facing come Springtime.” Billy ran his hand
across the fine hairs on Ennis’s chest and belly. “You’re getting gray,
old man.”
Ennis laughed,
“And I’ve earned ever’ damn one of em!”
* * * * * * *
The next year,
Spring came early to the mountains of central Wyoming. The work
pace at the ranch began to quicken and a couple of ranch hands were
brought in early to help get things ready. Ennis would
occasionally stay over night in the bunk house, especially when the
cows began to foal. Eventually he saw how difficult it was gong
to be to try to keep his trailer in Riverton, driving the twenty miles
each way. He discussed it with Billy and they both agreed it
would be best if he moved into the little apartment connected to the
bunk house. That way, Ennis could keep a better eye on things. He
could always get a place back in town next fall when the season ended.
The first week
in May, Ennis and Billy took their trucks down to the little trailer to
pick up the rest of Ennis’ stuff. The morning was chilly and it
was spitting snow. Billy loaded up his truck with some clothes
and a couple of pieces of furniture. The rest of the stuff they
put into the bed of Ennis’ Ford.
Ennis started a
fire in an old oil drum he had in front of the trailer and burned a lot
of old papers and trash.
“You want me to
wait so you can follow me back?” Billy stood next to the ranch
truck.
Ennis looked
over at him as he was throwing some old phone books into the
fire. He thought about how lucky he was to have Billy in his life.
“Naw, I’ll only
be a few more minutes. I’ll catch up with you in a little while.”
Billy pulled out
onto the main road and headed North. Ennis walked around the
trailer and watched the truck go down the straight, narrow road until
he couldn’t see it anymore. The clouds were breaking up. He
could see patches of blue and the distant mountains were coming into
view. Ennis pulled up the collar on his coat and pulled his hat
down on his head against the cold wind. He was about finished.
Ennis went into
the empty trailer and looked around. He spent a lot of years
here. With all the rent he paid he figured he could have bought
the place ten times over.
He walked into
the little hallway and stood before the closet. He opened the door. The
shirts were still hanging where he placed them many years before.
His faded plaid shirt on the outside with Jack’s blue one tucked
inside. The faded postcard of Brokeback Mountain was still thumb
tacked to the flimsy wood.
Ennis took the
shirts off the wire hanger and folded them carefully. He took down the
post card and slid it into the pocket of his old plaid shirt. He
walked out side and stood for a moment. He brought the folded
shirts up to his face and breathed in deeply.
Ennis carefully
placed the shirts into the fire. He watched the flames consume them
until they were only ashes. He watched the whitish smoke drift up
into the cold, blue sky. Tears filled his eyes.
“Jack, I swear,—
I’ll always love you.”
He drove North,—
Billy would be waiting for him.
THE END
Copyright 2006
Tom Forster