Chapter 20

Jack opened the door. "Get inside before ya freeze ta death."

"God, it's cold out here," Lureen said as she stomped snow off her boots.

"I know, that's why I'm tryin' ta get ya inside. You're carryin' so much though..." Jack tried to help her balance the packages in her arms without tripping over Jingles.

"I see you don't have your tree up yet," Lureen said with a disapproving tone in her voice as she glanced around the living room.

Jack ignored her. "Let's set these down on the couch and I'll put them away later."

"There's some cookies and candy there too. The candy goes in the refrigerator." Jingles poked his nose into the packages. "We'd best get the dog's presents hidden or he'll have them open well before Christmas, and he has to share with the others," Lureen said.

"You even bought presents for the dogs? You're too much, sweetheart."

"I have presents for the cats too," she said.

"You're unbelievable," Jack laughed.

"I love to shop, it was nothing," Lureen smiled.

"Did you make these cookies and candy with your own two hands?" Jack asked as he headed for the kitchen to deposit his loot.

"Don't look so surprised. There's no end to my talents," Lureen said, loud enough for Jack to hear.

"Can I fix ya some hot tea or cocoa?" Jack asked from the kitchen.

"Cocoa sounds great. Do you have any marshmallows?"

"Sure do, I'll be just a minute." Jack returned with the two cups of steaming cocoa to find Lureen making herself at home in front of the wood stove. She'd taken her coat, hat, and gloves off and put them on the couch. Jingles was lying down after Lureen had removed the packages he was interested in from his reach.

"Well, Jack..." Lureen started, and then paused.

Jack felt a lecture coming on and knew there was nothing he could do about it. He waited for her to say what was on her mind. He was surprised when Lureen's face took on a sad look and she said quietly, "I should have come out and decorated for you."

Jack chuckled softly. "Sweetheart, ya had plenty of other stuff ta do. Heck, you're leavin' on a two week vacation, along with all the other things ya do..."

Lureen interrupted, "But it just makes me sad to picture you here all alone without even a tree."

"It's still two weeks till Christmas...I'll get one," Jack said, not sure if he was trying to convince Lureen or himself.

"If I wasn't leaving in two days, I'd help you get one in here and we'd do it up right."

"Don't give it another thought. You've done enough for me already."

They sipped their cocoa in silence for a few moments, and then Lureen asked in a tentative voice, "Have you seen Ennis lately?"

Jack sighed and tried not to look like it was the end of the world. "No, not lately. He's been extra busy with customers wantin' jobs done before the holidays, and he's helpin' with the Toys for Tots campaign." After a few moments he went on, "Ya know, it's harder in a way seein' him when...when nothin's the same, and it might never be...probably won't be."

"But you've gotten to be good friends again," Lureen said. Jack knew she was trying to look on the bright side, trying to keep hope alive. He appreciated that more than he could say.

"Oh, yeah, we're good friends. Got ta know each other gettin' together trainin' Lobo some more, goin' out for a beer now and then...not that I had ta get ta know him, but he had a lotta stuff he had ta learn about me..."

"You still never told him you're gay?"

"No, I never quite got around ta that." Jack thought about Ennis, about some of the times they'd been together the past couple of months. There had been times when he thought he saw something in Ennis' eyes, noticed something in his actions...but it always passed and Ennis acted the same, like a buddy, nothing more.

"I'm so sorry, Jack. I thought when you told me he'd separated from his wife that maybe..."

"Yeah, it gave me hope then too, but...nothin's changed between us," Jack said in a quiet voice. "In fact, it seemed like the split caused him a lotta stress and that can't be good for his health. May have even set him back, specially if my suspicions about Alma are true."

"You mean that she was up here the night of the accident?"

"Yeah, and that she confronted Ennis before he drove off and had the accident, and that's playin' a part in why he doesn't remember. Now with the separation...more guilt." Jack finished his cocoa and said in frustration, "He needs ta get his memory back, damn it."

Lureen got up and put her arms around Jack and hugged him. "It's all so fucked up," Jack said.

"I know, I know," Lureen said as she held him.

After visiting a short time longer Lureen looked outside. "Looks like it's starting to spit snow, I'd best get on my way."

"Okay, thanks for comin' by and for...everything. Let me give ya your present ta take with ya."

"You got me something? You were out shopping?"

"Yeah, I went shoppin'. Hope ya like what I picked out," Jack said as he handed her a small box wrapped in red paper with a silver bow on top. Jack paused. "I even got somethin' for Ennis. Don't know if I'll have a chance ta give it ta him by Christmas, but..."

Lureen smiled. "Well, I'm glad to see that you're in the Christmas spirit after all."

"You have a real nice holiday at your granma's. I'll be waitin' ta hear all about it when ya get back."

As Jack helped Lureen with her coat she said, "I want you to be sure and go to the office party. Promise me you will. And promise you'll get a tree."

"Okay, I promise. Have a safe trip," Jack said as he kissed her cheek.

...

"Ennis, sit down...come have a beer with me, watch some t.v. before dinner," K.E. said.

"Let me just get Heather's toys picked up so no one falls over them," Ennis said as he picked up the last doll and put it in a pile.

"I wish you didn't feel like you had to do so much around here," K.E. said.

"With three adults, one child, and two puppies in the house, it helps to keep things picked up."

K.E. laughed, "Yeah, look at those toys. Christmas is coming and she'll get a load more. Where are we gonna put them?"

"Where are we gonna put the Christmas tree tomorrow is the question," Ennis chuckled.

"I just hope Rocky and Lobo know it's not to use for a bathroom," K.E. said.

Ennis laughed, wondering if K.E. was serious, then took a drink of his beer. "I thought I'd be able to move to an apartment or trailer by now, but even working as many jobs as I can get, I'm barely staying ahead of my bills."

"I keep telling you not to pay me anything. You're our guest, you don't need to pay. Save your money, Ennis."

"And I told you, that's not right. I'm paying you each week like I have been the past two months. I don't want to take advantage. At least I finally have my own truck."

"Have it your way...can't Alma get any extra hours at Wal-Mart? Especially with the Christmas rush?"

"Guess not."

"Well, she's gonna have to and not keep expecting you to pay all the bills at the house."

"Maybe after we decide what we're doing permanently I can get out from under some of it. I know Alma doesn't expect me to keep this up forever. She'll want to take care of herself...once we decide about the future."

Alma hadn't wanted Ennis to move out and tried to convince him to stay and keep trying, but he saw in her eyes that she knew, as well as he did, that it wasn't working. She'd given up without much of a fight. They were still calling it a trial separation, but Ennis knew in his heart that he'd never go back. Even though he still hadn't remembered her or the life they'd shared, he was convinced that his future was not with Alma...or with any woman. He felt like it was his fault that the marriage had failed, but did it really matter who was to blame? It was sad and painful, and hard on them both.

On Thanksgiving he'd had a break through. He thought for sure it was the beginning of his memory returning, but there'd been nothing since, and that had been two weeks earlier.

Carla had a lot of family photos displayed in the hallway, on the wall and on a table, and each time Ennis would pass by he'd pause and stare at those of him as a child, especially the ones with K.E. and Leanna. Each time he saw them he felt so close to remembering something, and on Thanksgiving when the family, including Ben Morgan, was getting ready to eat the holiday meal, he had a very vivid memory of a Thanksgiving long ago. He clearly recalled his mama placing serving bowls onto the table and his daddy placing a big platter of turkey down. He and K.E. had been squirming in their chairs kicking each other under the table, and Leanna was giving them dirty looks. He'd told K.E. about the memory. He also thought it was extremely significant and expected more to be forthcoming, but Ennis was still waiting.

Ennis hadn't seen Jack in the past few weeks. With the extra jobs to make as much money as he could, it left little free time. The free time he did have had been spent helping out with the Toys for Tots charity event that Carla and Ben were handling. They'd asked him to help with props, and he'd agreed. Leanna had been right along side Ben and Carla, so it was kind of a family affair. Ben had been good for Leanna. Between him and her cat, she was a different woman according to K.E.

Ennis was rousted out of his thoughts by K.E. "You do remember our little trip to Des Moines on the twenty third, right?"

"Sure, I remember. Too bad we couldn't have done it a little earlier in the month. Cuts it kinda close for our shopping."

"Yeah, and for picking up what Carla will still need." K.E. swallowed the last of his beer. "But unfortunately that was the only appointment Mr. Weaver could give me so I can discuss Rocky's training, so it makes sense to do it all at once."

"Sure is a nice Christmas present your in-laws are giving you, paying for the training."

"Yeah, they're the best," K.E. smiled.

"You guys ready for supper?" Carla called from the kitchen. Heather could be heard hollering, "Supper! Supper!"

"We're always ready to eat," K.E. called out, as he and Ennis stood up to go to the table.

...

"This traffic makes me nervous," K.E. said as he changed lanes so he could exit the off ramp that would take them to Mr. Weaver's place.

"You're doing fine. I'm no good in traffic like this either," Ennis said. A strange feeling came over him, but he couldn't quite put his finger on what it was. "We're just lucky the weather's good," he said.

"Let's hope it holds till we get back home tomorrow. That storm's due in by tomorrow evening."

"Yeah, looks like we'll have a white Christmas," Ennis said. A nagging feeling was still in the back of his mind, like there was a memory hidden there, but the harder he tried, the further away it seemed to get. Was probably nothing.

The meeting with Bob Weaver went well. Ennis and K.E. were both impressed with him and his facilities. Mr. Weaver had only good things to say about Jack Twist and told them to be sure to give him his regards the next time they saw him. K.E. reserved a spot for Rocky in the spring. "Continue teaching him puppy training till then," Mr. Weaver had said. That'll go a long way to giving him a good head start."

"Well, we got that out of the way fast," K.E. said as he started his truck.

"Next stop, Dickman Supplies, so you can get what you need. After that we'll check into the motel and go from there."

"Yeah, I'm glad you remembered where I like to shop for plumbing supplies. Of course I had no idea," Ennis said.

"At least you remember how to do the work, Ennis. That's what's important. The rest will come."

At Dickman's, the friendly cashier recognized Ennis and called him by his last name. When Ennis looked at her blankly, K.E. stepped up and explained about Ennis' accident and that his memory hadn't quite come back.

"Well, I'm glad you're still walking around, Mr. Del Mar," the cashier said. "Sounds like a bad accident." As she put Ennis' purchases into bags she said, "You don't get in much, do you? I think the last time I saw you was sometime last summer."

"We've got to drive an hour and a half to get here, and we're country boys at heart, so we don't get into the city that often," K.E. said with a smile.

"You two boys have a real good Christmas, and come back when you can," the cashier said as they left.

As K.E. headed in the direction of the Econo Lodge, a Burger King caught Ennis' eye. For some reason it seemed familiar. He hadn't felt anything when he was in Dickman's, even when it was clear that the cashier recognized him. Something about the Burger King though...maybe he'd eaten there. He wondered if he'd been alone back in the summer when he'd been in Dickman's. That cashier must have a good memory to know when he'd last been in. He focused on helping K.E. with directions to the Econo Lodge, and tried to ignore the slight headache that had been bothering him since arriving in town.

Ennis saw signs for the Kaleidoscope Mall where they planned to shop after checking into their room. "Must be getting close," he said. A sign for the Embassy Suites hotel caught his eye. Embassy Suites. I wonder why that sounds familiar.

Soon the Embassy Suites came into view. "Bet that hotel would be something to stay in," K.E. said as they passed by.

Ennis was so deep in thought that he hadn't heard K.E.'s voice at all until he said, "We'll have to settle for our little motel. Ennis...you listening?"

"Yeah, yeah, sorry, I'm listening."

K.E. soon located the Econo Lodge, and it wasn't long before they were checked in. The room was basic and plain, but would serve their needs. After they'd unpacked some of their things, they took off to the mall. They again passed the Embassy Suites, and Ennis was drawn to it like a magnet. "If we have time, maybe we can stop there and look around," he said.

"Stop at a hotel? A hotel we're not staying at?...Ennis, are you sure you're okay?"

"Uh, yeah….I'm fine. Got a headache coming on is all. I'll be okay." Ennis realized how stupid he sounded to suggest stopping at a hotel, and wondered where that thought had even come from. They were pressed for time as it was. They hoped to finish as much of their shopping as they could that evening and didn't have time to waste. He didn't mention it again.

K.E. didn't like shopping much more than Ennis did, but when they shopped for Heather's gifts, both of them really got into it, laughing and joking, even playing with some toys in the toy store. K.E. put on his serious face when it came time to shop for Carla's gift. Ennis knew it was important to him to get just the right present, so he gave K.E. some privacy, and he needed the time to buy something for his brother and Carla anyway. They had to stop and eat before they were finished shopping. They ended up in Sally's Old Fashioned Hamburgers and both enjoyed the food.

Even with all the crowds, they managed to finish most of their shopping, all except the list Carla had given K.E. of things she wanted to decorate their dinner table with on Christmas Eve. "Won't take us long to stop back for those things in the morning. Then we can get back and still have time to get the presents wrapped," K.E. said.

"We'll use gift bags, that's fast," Ennis smiled.

On the way back to the Econo Lodge K.E. said, "I'd really like to bring Carla and Heather here sometime. Heather would love to go to the zoo, and there's Adventureland USA amusement park."

"You should come. Sounds like a fun time," Ennis said.

"Yeah, now with Heather getting old enough to know what's going on, Christmas will be a blast too." After some silence K.E. said, "Sure am glad Leanna has Ben this year."

Ennis felt a wave of sadness. "I hope Alma has some friends to spend time with. Don't like to think of her all alone."

"Well, when we invited her for Thanksgiving, she said she had plans with friends, so I really don't think you need to be worried that she'll be alone."

Ennis noticed the Embassy Suites all lit up as they passed by, but didn't comment.

"I don't know about you but I'm beat," K.E. said as he fell onto one of the double beds after putting his shopping bags down.

"Shopping will take it out of you, that's for sure. Was already a little bit tired before we even left home, what with being up late last night with the Toys for Tots telethon," Ennis said. "It was worth it though."

"How's the headache?" K.E. asked.

"Took some aspirin before we left the mall but it hasn't kicked in yet."

They took turns in the bathroom getting ready for bed. For as tired as Ennis was, he had a hard time falling asleep. He was keyed up, and his headache was getting worse in spite of the aspirin. It seemed that K.E. had fallen asleep within minutes the way his breathing sounded.

Ennis tossed and turned and kept looking at the clock. His head pounded and so many thoughts were spinning in his mind. The last he was aware of the time was two a.m. He finally drifted off and fell into a deep, dream-filled sleep.

The bed dipped and someone was over him. He could feel warm breath on his face. Whoever it was gently moved his chin, and the next thing he knew, soft, moist, sexy lips covered his. The kiss caused a rush of heat to overtake his whole body, settling in his dick. As in previous dreams, he could feel a matching hard cock against his own. God, it felt good, causing him to rock against the body above. He grasped the man's hair, so soft in his fingers. He could smell the scent of the man, his lover...he'd never felt such tenderness and intense pleasure. Suddenly he heard a dog barking. What the hell...what's a dog doing in my dream, interrupting at a time like this? "Jack, we've gotta start keeping the dogs out of the bedroom." Then he laughed, and Jack was laughing with him. "Jack...Jack Twist, you got too many dogs here..."

Ennis' eyes flew open. He reached next to him but was alone in the bed. Jack...He rubbed his eyes and tried to get his bearings after coming out of such a deep sleep. He realized where he was and tried to get his breathing under control. His headache was completely gone. He wondered if he'd woken K.E. He sat up in bed, looked at the clock which read six-seventeen, and glanced over to K.E.'s bed. He was still asleep.

Oh, my God, I remember. I gotta get to Jack.

"K.E., wake up!"

To Be Continued...