Jack followed Lureen into the living room. This had been his home for the past fourteen years. When he lived there he always felt like a guest, now he felt like a complete stranger. The house never had time to settle. The room comprised of an odd mish-mash of jarring colors and mismatched furniture that were bought on a whim when Lureen found time to browse through a catalogue while taking a coffee break from work, and then discarded. The photographs that hung on the wall were all of her family. There was a portrait of her father, L.D. Newsome, over the fireplace. In a cabinet were trophies from the days when she did her barrel racing. Everything that he had, that meant anything to him, he kept in his room back on his parent's ranch at Lightning Flat. Only his mom went into his room and he asked that she didn't throw anything away. When he was younger all he had wanted to do was get away from Lightning Flat, but now, when the bank was about to take the ranch, he felt drawn back there.

"Who's out there in that old truck." Lureen said standing by the window peering through the blinds.

"It's Ennis, my old fishing buddy from Wyoming. He give me a lift down here."

"The one that you always went back to Wyoming to see? The one that never came down here to visit you? I can see now what you mean by his truck not making it here. Don't know what the neighbors must be thinking."

Avoiding starting an argument Jack asked "What's been happenin with Bobby."

"He keeps missing school. Getting picked up the police wandering round. I tried talking to him. The school might not want him back. I haven't got time for all this. Been trying to run the business now that Daddy's retired and I lost my salesman. Been through three salesmen already since you left. None of them seem to work out."

"Something should a been done long before now. You should a got him extra help."

"He don't seem that bad. Daddy says it's the school that's the problem."

" Why you got a listen to your old man all the time. I used to sit and listen to him read. For some reason he just weren't gettin it, even though he was tryin as hard as he could."

"He's been asking after you all the time. He's been waiting for you to get back. You need to tell him."

Her eyes looked red under her dark eye makeup. Jack could see that she was upset and asked "What happened with that other fella you were with?"

"With everything going on he moved out for a while. Just didn't seem to work once he moved in here. Jack while you were up in hospital some detective rang up asking questions. You sure you ok?"

"I'm fine. If I weren't before, I had long enough to think about what I need to make things ok being stuck in hospital in Denver for five weeks. Why? What did he say?"

She looked at as if he were a set of numbers that didn't add up. "It doesn't matter. It seems silly now. When they didn't think you were going to pull through – I got the lawyer to look at your will. It said you wanted to cremated and your ashes scattered up some place called Brokeback Mountain. I don't know where Brokeback Mountain is. It's just like you wanting your ashes scattered in some place no one's ever heard of it."

"Brokeback Mountain's back home in Wyoming. I herded sheep there back in 1963"

'Must have enjoyed the sheep herding to want to have your final remains there."

"It wasn't much of a job. We didn't get paid for the work we done and all the sheep got mixed up with other herds during a storm."

"I thought it might have been some place where you like to drink. I know you like your whiskey."

"Done some drinkin up there. Can't deny that." Jack laughed and then turned away from her and said thoughtfully. "Me and my friend who I was workin with, we was happy up there. It was a place where you could be yourself; no one paid you any mind." He saw Lureen looking at him inquisitively, and he added, "I've got some good memories of that summer." Drawing back to the present he said, "I'll go down to the school and meet Bobby. Talk some sense into him."

"He always listened to you. Wanted to go back to Wyoming spend some time at your folks place."

"Lureen. My folks are probably goin to lose that place. Now I hate to ask you this – My old man's owes the bank money. I only just found about it. If you could give me a loan, I'll make sure it's paid back."

"Business has dropped off. We not selling as much machinery as we used to. Folks are making do with what they got."

"I understand. Forget I said anything."

"I'll make you a deal. I'll loan you the money but I want you back here. Our marriage lasted longer than most marriages, all things considering. I need a salesman and Bobby needs a father."

"Laureen. We talked about this before. I can't go on the way things were and you deserve better than that."

Her expression hardened, "That's what I'm offering. You accept the offer I'll get the lawyer to draw you up a contract. The loans got to be paid off at interest with right of ownership going to me if you can't meet the re-payments. Business is business." She turned away from him and looked out the window again. "If your buddy drives you down to Bobby's school there make sure he parks up the road. Bobby will get embarrassed if you turn up there driving that old truck."

Ennis and Jack sat in the truck across the road from the school. It was home time. Groups of teenagers strolled out of the school.

"There he is," Jack said to Ennis pointing to a boy walking by himself, head down. Jack got out of the truck and started walking alongside him.

"Bobby Twist. Your Momma's been tellin me some stories about you."

Looking up, Bobby turned to Jack and smiled broadly, "Daddy. When did you get back?"

"Just today. Well, what's been goin on while I been away?"

"What you mean?"

"What do I mean? You missin school, not listening to your Mamma. Gettin picked up the police and bought home. That ain't like you."

"It wasn't Mamma. I don't see her. She's always working. That guy that moved in he was always tellin me what to do. I don't know who he thinks he is."

"I'm the one that's tellin you now. And you need to start concentratin on your schoolin."

"Granddaddy always said that education is for fools. He only made ninth grade and he said it never did him any harm. "

Growing impatient, Jack said, "I had to left school early to help my daddy out. Wished I could a stayed at school. Wished I'd had more opportunities. When I weren't much older than you I was herdin sheep on my own up a mountain. Nothing but bears and coyotes, only a tent to shelter from lightning storms. "

"Well I'd rather be doing that then being here."

"You don't know how good you got it. Come on over here," Jack said leading Bobby to the Ennis's truck. "There's someone I'd like you to meet. This is my friend from Wyoming, Ennis."

Ennis said, "Pleased to meet you. Me and your daddy have knowin one another a long time. He's told me a lot about you." Even though they never spent much time talking about their families, it seemed the right thing to say.

Bobby gave a sight nod, smile and said a cursory "Pleased to meet you."

Bobby climbed in the truck and sat between Ennis and Jack. During the short journey back to Lureen's house he said nothing but stared straight ahead. When the truck stopped he said, "Granddaddy and Grandma are coming over for dinner. Are you going to stay?"

Jack said, "We got a get goin but I'll come back tomorrow. We got some catchin up to do."

Bobby said, "If you go back up Wyoming can you take me with you. I'd really like to see what it's like up there."

"Now's not a good time."

"You always say that."

"Bobby I promise I'll take you up there. Your grandmamma is always asking after you."

Bobby got up of truck and ran inside the house. L.D's Cadillac was parked in the driveway. Jack thought he could imagine the blinds tilted slightly and Lureen or her mother peeking out.

Ennis and Jack lay on one of two single beds in a room in a boarding house in Amarillo, Texas. Jack had suggested Amarillo because he didn't want to stay anywhere in Childress saying to Ennis, 'Laureen's always talkin about her families standing in the community and it's a small community. Lots of gossips."

Ennis said to Jack, "I don't know how you made out he's more like L.D. Newsome. He kind a looks like you and he wants to get out Childress just as much as you wanted to get out of Lightning Flat. Don't seem that bad."

"With me, he's not. One thing, I'm tired of hearing from LD Newsome and I ain't set eyes on him yet."

"Did you ask Lureen for the loan to keep your folks place goin?"

"Yeah. She wants me to come back. She's been havin a rough time. Like I said, gettin money off her is like pullin teeth. She ain't got no reason to be doin me any favours. I still don't what I'm goin to do. I told you it weren't goin to be easy down here."

"You're stuck with me now, I guess."

Jack reached across and stroked Ennis's face "It's good that you're here. When I first saw you outside Aguirre's trailer carrying that dumb paper bag, I had a feeling then, it was going to be a good summer."

"I guess it was the same for me," Ennis said rubbing Jack's arm through his shirt. "When I see you waitin for Aguirre to arrive leanin against that truck of yours." Jack kissed Ennis' hair and lips and Ennis added, "Up until you pulled that harmonica out, and I didn't know how I get through the summer listenin to you try and play it."

Jack smiled and chuckled. They shared a lingering kiss and Ennis buried his face in Jack's neck. As they held one another, Jack thought that despite the years they barely saw one another, the frustrations, and the bitterness, this was the person he was closest to. He wanted tell Ennis how much he meant to him, but it would have to wait for another time, because Ennis's breathing had deepened and he had fallen asleep.