Ennis sat on the edge of the bed, his and Jack's shirts lying in his lap, trying to pull himself together so he could face the stud duck waiting for him down stairs. Who knows what he may say next to try to make his queer son's buddy hate him. Even before he found the shirts in the closet he had forgiven Jack for being with this other man for he realized now that it was true what Jack had said that last day together…Ennis had kept him "on a short leash" and yet did not provide for him but a few times a year.
Jack I swear….
Ennis wondered how he could have smartened up so fast after missing so much for so long. Was it because Jack was all around him now? In Jack's room…Jack's shirt…Jack's blood….Jack's ashes….It was like all of this information came flooding into his brain at once and he was overloading. Yea, Jack had stolen his shirt that last day on Brokeback Mountain. There was his own shirt tucked inside Jack's.
"What were you saying Jack? I'm inside of you?" Ennis managed. Well, that would be taken care. Ennis would see to it. Soon enough it would be the other way around cause Jack was inside of Ennis and always would be. The shirts belonged to him now. "Thank God for your mother, Jack" Ennis actually said it out loud. She suggested taking some piece of Jack's clothing as a remembrance to wrap the hidden ashes in. She wanted her son's final wishes fulfilled regardless of what her husband had said.
That day on the phone she said "lived with him for 41 years and know he won't allow for Jack's pleasure in death any more than he did in life. He'll never give up those ashes, but what he'll have won't be Jack by the time you get here" With duty to her son she switch the ashes with God knows what and tucked what was left of Jack under the pillow of his bed and left him there for Ennis to take back to the mountain.
Ennis stood up and laid out the shirts on the bed. Once they were folded in place all that was left to do was to get the package and place it inside. Ennis would have to see it soon enough. For now he would just reach under and place it inside the bundle. He slid his hand under the pillow and found the cloth bag.
The shock was sudden and Ennis nearly lost his footing…his legs shaking almost as much as his hand. He had not expected it to be so small. Yes he knew it was only half of Jack's ashes. He went down on one knee….was this all that was left of Jack Twist? How could that be? He looked at the shirts.
Ennis seemed to come back to life. Like a morning glory turning toward the sun Ennis straightened up.He pulled the treasured packaged from its hide and slipped it into its keep.
Now he looked down upon his charge. No…..that was not all that was left of Jack Twist…not by a long shot. Yea, Jack was there in that package. He was there in those shirts. He might have been there in the room. Ennis knew he'd be waiting on Brokeback Mountain, but mostly he was right there in Ennis' heart a place that he thought was empty that now he knew would be full all the rest of his life. He had Jack back with him. He was happy as he could hope to be. At last he finally knew what love was...never too late.
Jack I swear