Homecoming III

Christmas 1984

"You know, a watched pot never boils."

"Huh? What? What does that have to do with… anything?"

"Haven't you heard yer Momma say that?"

"Yeah. So?"

Heavy sigh. "It means, just because you constantly look out the window towards the road, it don't mean he'll get here any sooner."

"I know that, it's just that I'm worried. He shoulda been here yesterday, and now it's Christmas Eve and he isn't here yet."

"Jack, it's a long drive, and he called from the gas station in Casper a few hours ago, he'll be here soon. Now, why dontcha sit down and relax?" Ennis patted the seat cushion next to him on the couch, and Jack reluctantly came over and sat down. Ennis put his arm across the back of the couch and around Jack's shoulders. Jack had held him together over Thanksgiving, now he would take care of Jack. "Nothin's gonna happen ta him, he'll be here soon enough and all in one piece."

Jack relaxed into his embrace. "I know, I know. But I know how far it is and how long it takes, and he isn't here yet. I made that trip enough times for twenty some years. But he's only made it alone once before, and not in Winter with all this bad weather. When I close my eyes, I keep seein' him in a ditch or somethin'…"

Ennis tensed ever so slightly at the mention of the twenty years of driving, but released it just as quick and hoped Jack didn't notice. One of the many regrets he still had for all those years apart, was making Jack drive all the way from Texas to Wyoming and him never driving anywhere out of the State. One of the many regrets he would do his best to make up for during the next twenty years and the twenty after that, and even longer if his most fervent wish came true.

"No buts. It's gonna be alright, you'll see." Ennis used his most soothing voice.

Jack smiled up at him, and tried to believe it, too. Ennis looked at the door to the livingroom, and seeing no one and hearing Jack's mom in the kitchen, he leaned in and kissed Jack quickly but firmly.

"No buts, huh? Thought you liked…"

"Jack," Ennis whispered, with a slight frown, "not here. Yer momma's in the kitchen and John's just down the hall." Then he added, "I do. Later."

"Promise?" Jack reached up and touched his cheek.

Ennis would promise anything to Jack, well almost anything, and this thing he could promise. "Promise."

They sat quietly for a few minutes, both listening for tires crunching on snow, without admitting it to the other.

"You found a nice tree. Still can't hardly believe you did it yourself."

"Wanted to surprise you and yer folks."

"You did. Amos give you a hard time?"

"Him? Nah, he was glad to sell another tree so close to Christmas, just a bit surprised that it was for yer folks, is all." Ennis put on his best imitation of Amos: "Ain't sold a tree ta John Twist in nearly 20 damn years, havin' his kid and you livin' there's made a difference, I can see that, so can my missus, good thing, too, they'd just about run the place inta the ground, what with John's accident and Jack havin' a bum leg, you sure are a good friend indeed."

"So he didn't give you the evil eye?" Jack said it lightly, but Ennis could feel the undercurrent of the unspoken question.

"No, just smiled and took my ten dollars."

"And if he had done it?"

Ennis pondered that unspoken, now spoken, question. "I woulda looked right back at him, and said thank ya kindly, and brought the tree home."

Home, he said home.

"Ain't goin' nowhere any more, least not without you." Ennis said that low, quietly, followed by a kiss on Jack's head.

Jack shifted, so he could put his arms around Ennis' waist.

"Thank you," he said huskily.

Ennis didn't reply, just held onto his reason for living.

"Jackie, honey, can you help me for a minute." Elaine's voice from the kitchen broke into their moment.

"Sure, Ma, be right there." Jack struggled upright and stretched out his bad leg, rubbing it.

"You stay here, I'll take care of it"

"Thanks… seems like I say that to you a lot these days."

"Me, too."

As Ennis left, Jack stretched out on the couch, and looked again at the tree, almost mesmerized by the bubbles rising constantly in the colored bubbler lights, and the sparks of light glancing off the ornaments as the other tree lights blinked bright red and green and orange and blue. It reminded him of those Christmases away from Ennis, back in Childress, back in the old days. Those first few Christmases were fun, when Bobby was little and discovered something new and exciting every year. The three of them searched the tree lots for just the right tree, not wanting to buy the very first one they had seen, but sometimes going back and doing just that. Jack would cut off a bit of the trunk before setting it into the stand and adding the water. Then on went the lights, and garlands, and ornaments, every year a new ornament for Bobby. And finally, he would lift Bobby up high to put the star on the top, while Lureen took a picture of the two of them. After that, he would set up the tripod and set the timer on the camera, and get a picture of the three of them in front of the tree, to send with their cards. He always wanted to send one to Ennis, but didn't want to spook Ennis, so never did, just those damn impersonal postcards.

He shifted a bit on the couch, easing his stiff leg and the other aches from bones busted up on the rodeo circuit in his youth. Other Christmas memories came back, too. After those first years, as Lureen got more involved with the business, she found less time to go get the tree and put up the ornaments, until finally the year Bobby turned ten he came home from a quick sales trip to find a fancy tree already put up and decorated in the livingroom. Lureen simply said she had her decorator take care of it to save time and besides, it looked so much better without all those odd ornaments. Bobby and Jack had looked at each other, and the next day the two of them bought a small artificial tree for Bobby's room, on which they hung all his favorite ornaments. Lureen was irritated, but couldn't do anything about it, so from then on each year two trees appeared at the Twist household.

Hope Bobby remembered his box of ornaments, was Jack's last thought before he allowed needed sleep to overcome him.

The low murmur of voices gradually seeped into his brain, and slowly waking him from his nap. He recognized one of them as Bobby's. After stretching while still lying down, he sat up, twisting his neck, shrugging his shoulders, working out the kinks. He smiled as he realized his boots were off his feet, on the floor next to the couch; Ennis must have done it without waking him. He padded in his stockings through the dining room towards the kitchen, but stopped short of the doorway, out of view, listening to the conversation between his mom, his partner and his son.

"… and he sounds so much better when I've talked to him these past two months, he's back to bein' the daddy I had when I was little. You've done so much for him, I don't know how to thank you enough, Mr. Del Mar."

"No need ta be thankin' me, Bobby. Yer daddy's done the same fer me, and we've been thankin' each other and your Grandma and Grandpa" and the Lord God Almighty on high "every day for the second chance we got. And from what he's told me, I've got you ta thank for that second chance, too. If you hadn't come along…"

"Yeah, if something hadn't made me go looking for him…" Bobby's voice trailed off.

"And… uh… you can call me Ennis if you want to. Mr. Del Mar was my daddy, and he's long dead."

Bobby blinked. Call me Ennis. Ennis. The man who sat across the worn table appeared calm on the outside, but the occasional tremor in the hand holding the coffee cup showed inside he was wound as tight as the clock on the mantle above the fireplace. He was not just "Ennis". He was the person who made his father whole, who had brought his father peace and happiness after so many years of unrest and sorrow, and who in this quiet part of the world had himself found some peace and happiness. From telephone calls with his father, Bobby knew all about the heartache of Thanksgiving and how this almost shy man had begun to find the home he hadn't had since he was a child, a home to replace the series of roofs over his head, a home with a family who loved and cared for him. Bobby's father's words had told him, but his grandmother's looks had confirmed it. Bobby also realized how fragile this new feeling must be for all of them, and he wanted it to continue for all of them, including himself, forever. Bobby too craved that sense of family that had been missing through most of his own life. And Ennis had provided it, just by being there.

So, Bobby blinked, but did not hesitate. He made a quick, instinctive decision, one which was just right, the only one to make. As the years passed, Bobby would come to know just how right it was and the difference it made in all their lives.

"Sure, but, well… I know what you and Dad mean to each other… don't give me that look, I've known for a long time, remember? And it doesn't make a speck of difference in how I feel about you and him… and if things were different, you know, if you were a woman then Daddy and you'd get married… and I'd have a stepmom… not that I want dad to marry some gal... or want you to be a woman… or want a stepmom… I mean…um…" He stammered as he bulled through what he wanted to say. "Shit, this is hard."

"Robert! Language. And on the eve of the Lord's birthday!"

"Yes, Grandma, sorry. What I mean is, if things were the way I think they should be, then you two would be getting married… and you'd be my stepdad. Seeing as how you can't and I already have a Dad, would it be okay with you if I called you Pop?"

Jack nearly fell to his knees hearing that. Only a good grip on the side table kept him on his feet. After a few moments of silence, he heard Ennis' reply, and knew what it meant to all of them. With just a few words, his voice said so little and conveyed so much.

"I'd… I'd be proud to have a son like you, and mighty proud ta have ya call me that."

"Thanks…Pop."

Jack heard two chairs scraping, and could visualize his Ennis and his son standing and holding each other to seal their new family bond. The silence was deafening.

Jack decided to tiptoe back to the living room, intending to announce his arrival from there. Turning, he saw his father in the archway between the living room and the dining room, hands clasped in his lap. Jack walked over, sat down on a chair and reached out to him, touching his hands. John covered Jack's hand with his own. They whispered

"You heard?"

"Yep."

"You approve?"

"Ain't up ta me. Question is, do you?"

"Yep, with all my heart."

"Then ya best be getting' in there and greetin' yer son and partner. Sooner ya do that, the sooner I get my dinner." John tried to sound gruff. But they both knew the meaning of this moment in time. Jack squeezed his father's hand before standing.

"Well." Jack smiled as he recognized his mom's voice, and the tone of voice which said it was time to change the subject.

"Enough of that, we all got things to be thankful for, especially our family right here right now. Besides, it's Christmas Eve and almost time for supper before church."

"Yes, Elaine."

"Yes, Grandma."

"Come on, Bobby, let's get yer things from the truck before daylight's gone. You'll be livin' in yer dad's old room. Hope it's big enough to fit all that stuff ya brought."

"If not, there's always the basement, and the attic, and the barn…"

"Huh-uh, not the barn, not out there, need all the room we got for…"

Jack decided it was time to speak up.

"Bobby? Is that you?"

"Dad!"

They met in the middle of the dining room, sure enough in their relationship to hug each other without embarrassment.

"Merry Christmas, Dad."

"Welcome home, Son."

Looking over his son's shoulders, Jack caught sight of Ennis with one arm around his mom's waist. Their eyes met and they smiled together.

############

Christmas morning broke crisp and clear, with only a few stray clouds slowly wending their way eastward at the rear of the storm.

Bobby stretched in his Dad's old bed, allowing his arms to reach upwards before quickly withdrawing them into the burrow of warm blankets. Damn, it's cold up here! That's gonna take some getting used to. No dip in the Gulf waters off Padre Island this New Year's. Too damn early to get up, still mostly dark outside, glad the rooster's cooped up inside. His eyes closed and he decided to sleep in for a few more minutes before… Great night last night, meeting Ennis… no, Pop…why did I say that?… putting my ornaments on the tree… Wait a minute! What am I doing? It's Christmas!

Bounding out of bed despite the cold, he pulled on his jeans, a flannel shirt, and heavy socks before padding down the hall to the bathroom. Morning business finished, he headed to the stairs but stopped at the top when he heard voices downstairs in the kitchen.

"Surprised he ain't up already." My new Pop, really my step-dad. Still kinda weird thinking about it.

"Thought I heard the bathroom, he musta gone back to bed. Had a long day yesterday, drivin in the snow, meetin you, haulin half his stuff into the basement." That's my dad, overprotective as usual.

A sigh, followed by the sound of a cup setting onto the table.

"Got so much to be thankful for this year, so many presents already. First you, and now Bobby, all together here, safe and sound. Can you believe he remembered his box of ornaments?" Bobby could feel the wistfulness in his Dad's voice. "My own dad changing, after all we've been through… Guess there's a chance of having that sweet life after all."

"No chance of that."

"What dya mean, no chance?" Yeah, what do ya mean, Pop?

"No 'chance' thing at all, is what I mean. We got it and we're gonna live it, best we know how. Ain't gonna be easy, I… I… I still have those dreams, you know, the ones about you, and us, and Earl…" Who's Earl? "But not so often or as bad as before, and now… well, like I said back of the barn when I got here, now I have you back I ain't ever leavin you."

"Me neither, cowboy, me neither."

Hearing this gave Bobby pause. He knew his Dad had strong feelings for Ennis, and that those feeling ran the other way. But now he knew for sure how deep Ennis' feelings ran for his Dad. He didn't know their whole story, but the sadness sometimes running underneath their words spoke volumes. Maybe someday they'd tell him, in their good time and on their own terms.

"Think we oughta wake him up?"

"Naw, let him sleep, like you said he had a long day yesterday."

"But it's Christmas morning!" Yea, Dad!

"All day, like every other Christmas."

"But… but… it's Christmas morning."

"Ah… you want him up just so you can open yer presents, that's it, isn't it?"

"Already opened the best present I could ever get, a few hours ago. And the best thing about it, it's a gift that keeps on giving every day all year long."

"Shhh… hush now, you want yer parents or Bobby to hear you? Nobody's business but ours, least ways that's what some blue-eyed ranchhand told me twenty years ago up…Mmmm…"

Oh shit, they're kissing and talking about… Ugh, not my Dad and Pop… geez!

Bobby stood up and tiptoed back to his room, shaking his head in hopes of shaking out the visions bouncing around in there. He pulled on his boots, then walked back down the hall and down the stairs, this time not trying to hide his approach. He entered the kitchen with a yawn and a "mornin', Merry Christmas", before kissing his dad on the cheek and giving his Pop a quick hug from the back, then heading for the white Mr. Coffee coffeemaker on the counter.

"Smells good, you make it Pop? Dad never could get it right."

Ennis snorted, which helped him cover up his feelings for this younger version of the man he loved. Speakin of bein blessed, having Bobby accept me like this, only wish mine would, too.

"Yeah, couldn't take any more of that dishwater yer Dad calls coffee."

"Drink enough of it," retorted Jack.

"Haveta, don't wanta hurt yer feelings."

"Humph. Next time I'll make some cowboy coffee, leave it simmering on the stove all day 'til it's strong enough to float an axehandle, maybe then it'll be to yer liking."

"Maybe so."

Bobby poured a cup, offered refills which were accepted, and set about making another pot, as the three-way morning banter continued. They talked about parceling out the day's chores, scheduling future time for the work needed on the house, barn and stables, getting Bobby registered for school, dealing with Lureen over Bobby's decampment to the Twist Ranch. Unsaid was the feeling of belonging, that this was right for all of them, that this was their own family along with John and Elaine.

Soon enough another territory was heard from.

"Mornin', you three."

Bobby stood up and took the few steps over to where his Grandpa stood on crutches in the doorway to the kitchen, and gave him an awkward half-hug. "Morning, Grandpa. Merry Christmas!"

"Same to ya. You too."

"Merry Christmas, John.

"Merry Christmas, Dad. Get ya a cup of coffee?"

"Yeah, I'd like that." He eased himself into a chair, and Jack set down his dad's Wyoming State Fair 1968 cup in front of him, coffee with cream no sugar. "Thanks, son. So, what you boys up to so early, huh? Sittin around jawin like this, must mean the chores're all done."

"Not yet, just decidin' who'll be doin what and when, 's all."

"Well, don't let me keep ya from doin em, may be Christmas but the stock can't care for themselves."

Jack, Ennis and Bobby smiled at each other, nodded, and stood up to start their ranch day. John smiled inwardly at their retreating backs. Gruff exterior of old, hiding the warm interior of new.

An hour or so later three men responded to Elaine's ringing the call to breakfast.

Bobby came stomping in the back door last in his stocking feet, blowing warm air into his cold hands, grousing about the cold and the snow and how his fingers maybe got frostbite or something. Ennis could hardly hold back a smile. Just like his daddy, been here just one day, cold already, next thing he'll be sayin'…

"You know what? Next Christmas we oughta hire someone to watch the place for a week, and all take off to Hawaii or California or somewheres else that's warm."

Yep, just like.

Elaine shooed them upstairs to clean up. The smells of cinnamon, bacon, sausages, and coffee made them hurry, and in hardly any time at all they sat down for their first Christmas meal as a family. John offered a blessing, remembering the Lord's birthday, thanking the Lord for the many gifts He had bestowed on them this past year, especially the permanent addition of Ennis and Bobby to their table, asking for His continued support during the coming year, and asking that the food before them would nourish them in spirit and in body.

For a while the sounds of knives and forks against china replaced most conversation, but soon enough the silverware rested on the sides of their plates having performed admirably their duty. The men all thanked Elaine for the wonderful breakfast as they sipped on their umpteenth cup of coffee of the morning. Elaine could see them casting restless glances towards the living room.

"What you say we open presents now?" she offered.

"Sure," "Sounds about right," "Okay," "I'll plug in the lights on the tree," "Let me have yer plate," "I'll rinse, you wash, you dry," came out all at once as the three boys stood up.

"Just leave the dishes for now, we can get to them after."

Gathering around the tree, John asked Bobby to play Santa this year, so he began digging through the assorted boxes, reading the names off the tags and handing them over. Bows and ribbons slid off, paper was torn despite Elaine's occasional remonstrance to "save that paper, it's a big piece and we can use it next year." They admired their gifts, thanking each other for their thoughtfulness.

Ennis looked up from the box he received from Jack, with a puzzled look. Then he held up two books, The Adventures of Tom Sawyer and The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn.

"Thanks, Jack?"

"You're welcome. Editions from the '40s, found em through a bookstore in Cody. Hope you like em. Couple of pairs of reading glasses are in there, too, so's you can pick the one's best," he added with a grin.

Ennis snorted in disapproval, but knew he needed them and would use them.

"Hey, cool, I read both of those, you'll like them, can I see?" declared Bobby, who hadn't a clue about the underlying significance of the gifts. He looked over both, and found written on the fly-leaf of each:

To Ennis, from Jack, Christmas 1984

"What's this, Pop?" asked Bobby, pulling an envelope from inside Tom Sawyer.

Ennis frowned a bit. "Don't know, didn't see it." He opened the envelope, and found a brochure about jumping frogs in a place called Angels Camp way out in California. He turned to Jack with another questioning look.

"His first big story was about Angels Camp, up in the Gold Country in California, called The Celebrated Jumping Frog of Calaveras County. He lived there for awhile back in the day, and wrote about it. They have a festival every year, complete with a frog jumping contest. Thought you might like to see it," Jack said casually, as if talking about spending a day at the Crook County Fair.

Jack picked up another envelope from the table beside the couch, and handed it over to Ennis. Inside were plane tickets to Reno, a truck rental, and then a two-week road trip: over the mountains and down through the California Gold Country to attend the jumping frog contest in Angels Camp, then into Yosemite National Park, and finally back up to Reno for their flight home.

"Jack, darlin'…" forgetting all who were present besides Jack, "you know I ain't traveled much, and this…this…"

"I know, I know, you ain't traveled much farther than around the coffeepot trying to find the handle. Well, you found the handle on this one, now it's time to travel around some other coffeepots."

Overcome, Ennis nodded then stood up, walked over, and pulled Jack into a hug. When Bobby expressed an interest in seeing all that with them, they both responded, together, "No way."

And so began a Christmas tradition. It took them years on years to visit all the places Sam Clemens wrote about and where he lived. One year it was Life on the Mississippi, with a brochure about steamboats and plane tickets to St. Louis for a trip on a riverboat down the Mississippi to New Orleans with a stop in Hannibal, Missouri, and three nights in the Big Easy before flying home. Another year it was A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court, with a brochure about Sam Clemens' house in Hartford, Connecticut, and plane tickets to New York City for a road trip to see Hartford and then through New England ending in Boston before flying home. In 2003, their 40th anniversary, it was Innocents Abroad, with brochures about Dublin, London, Paris and Rome, and tickets for a three-week European tour.

Their collection of unique coffeepots purchased on their travels made for good conversation when family and friends came to visit, which they did often.

##############

Merry Christmas to All!