Chapter 29
It was a busy summer juggling work, kids, house hunting, and time together, not to mention Jack had been on a few overnight jobs. Still no headaches though, so that was a big help. For Father's Day, John and Denise had been traveling, so Jack and Ennis had planned a quiet day together. That was changed when Alma and Lureen informed them that they needed a rest on Father's Day to follow up the one they'd had on Mother's Day, so the kids would be with their fathers for that weekend. Well, no matter, it was all good, and Father's Day weekend had been great.
House hunting on the other hand, wasn't going too well. They wanted something in the vicinity of Brentwood Heights so that getting to work and seeing their kids would be simpler, and hadn't found even one serious possibility yet.
Sharing the kids was working out amicably with Alma and Lureen, in fact, the girls seemed relieved to have a way to have a break. By now Ennis knew that the man Alma was seeing was a guy she'd known from work, Monroe Jenson. Ennis had met him once, and said he seemed harmless, so Jack was glad that Ennis wasn't uneasy about this Monroe character being in Alma and Junior's life. Jack told Ennis that Lureen was married to her work, so he didn't expect her to find anyone new any time soon.
Ennis and Jack's birthdays were both in July, so they'd decided to treat themselves by getting away to Big Bear the last weekend of July. John had given Jack an odd look when he'd asked if it was alright to use the cabin, but had handed Jack the key and said it was fine with him. Jack didn't bother to tell Ennis about the vibe he'd gotten from his dad. Ennis was already trying to work through his discomfort with their situation, at times bordering on paranoia, much to Jack's chagrin. Sometimes it seemed like Ennis was coming around and getting used to the idea of the two of them together, and even letting people know at some point, but other times he'd retreat back into his shell. Jack had told Ennis his feelings about the situation. He was fine with telling people now, even his dad, but Ennis wasn't ready, so they'd do it his way, in his time. They hadn't told anyone they were looking for a place to move, but when they found one they'd have to, and let them draw their own conclusions. At least Ennis was willing to go together and look at houses, for as much good as it had done.
They sat on the porch of the cabin in Big Bear drinking beer their first evening there. They thought back to a few of the more unique houses they'd seen. "Remember that master bedroom with the mirrors on the ceiling and walls?" Jack snickered.
"Don't remind me. I could hardly keep a straight face till we got outside by ourselves. Shit, you'd be able to see yourself cum from every possible angle." Ennis couldn't keep from laughing as he thought back.
"I'm sure when we told the Realtor that the house just wasn't quite right, she knew exactly why," Jack chuckled.
Most of the houses didn't have a kitchen that was up to Ennis' standards, others didn't have the right size yard to accommodate kids and a dog. They wanted four, preferably five bedrooms, needed at least a small office space for the both of them...maybe they were being a little picky, but they didn't want to settle for something that wasn't right. Summer was quickly passing, with fall just around the corner. They both knew the boat wasn't the place to spend the cooler months. They were going to have to make a bigger effort to find a house even if it wasn't quite in the area they wanted.
This cabin was nice. The garage and storage area were on ground level. On the left side were stairs leading up to the porch and the entry to the main part of the cabin. Upon entering, the kitchen was to the left, dining room to the right, and through an archway off the dining room was the cozy living room with fireplace. There was one bedroom downstairs, and the one and only bathroom. The stairs off the living room lead to a loft which was partitioned into two bedrooms. The inside of the cabin was done in warm earth tones.
"This is really nice, bud." Ennis said as he leaned back in the chair and put his feet up on the railing. "Did you come here a lot when you were young?"
"We came here some. I was always lonely up here though."
"I wish we'd known each other back then."
"Well, we're together now, and a weekend cozied up with you in this cabin is just what I need."
"Before we get too comfortable, maybe we need to find a place to eat. I'm surprised you haven't mentioned food yet."
"The Old Country Inn used to be a good place to eat," Jack said, and then looked suggestively at Ennis. "We could always have some dessert before dinner...you know, try out the bed?"
"I'm not sure which you like best, sex or food," Ennis chuckled. "Maybe it would be good to work up an appetite."
They wasted no time getting the springs on that bed squeaking. Ennis was giving it to Jack with gusto, and with every thrust the springs sang their squeaky tune. "Jesus, the springs on this bed need oiled!" Ennis said breathlessly.
"I'll be sure and tell dad he needs to take care of that," Jack choked out between moans.
"Don't you dare say that, Jack," Ennis said as he gave Jack an extra hard thrust.
"I was only kidding, Ennis. I'll have a bed spring mechanic come take a look at it," Jack laughed.
"It's not polite to laugh while I'm fuckin' you," Ennis gasped, as he got closer to the finish line.
The moans of pleasure drowned out the sounds of the old bed springs. They came hard and loud, and collapsed, creating one last crescendo of spring squeaks.
Coming down to earth, they relaxed in each other's arms and Ennis said, "Jack, I'm getting too old to talk, laugh and fuck at the same time."
"Thirty five isn't old, what are you talking about? You feel old? Cause I don't...and your dick sure didn't."
"Well, guess I don't feel as old as this bed must be."
They chuckled and held each other, giving soft kisses and caresses.
After they'd satisfied that part of their appetite and were up and dressed, Jack drove them to the restaurant. It had been remodeled since Jack had been there last, and a patio had been added. They sat on the patio, the summer night peaceful with the crickets chirping. The cool mountain air was rejuvenating, and the smell of pine filled their senses.
"They've got a kid's section on the menu," Jack said as he scanned the pages.
"That so? Let me see...Yeah, we'll have to remember that."
"Maybe next summer we can bring Bobby and Junior up here to spend a weekend at the cabin."
As Ennis removed his reading glasses he said, "That's something we can think about, but remember they'll be two and four by then."
"And your point is?"
"Haven't you heard of the terrible two's? Bobby will be two and Junior will be double that."
Jack laughed and said, "Ennis, they're just two little kids. We're bigger than they are. We can handle it."
Ennis gave Jack a long look, shook his head, and then just said, "I think I'll order the broccoli and chicken Fettuccini Alfredo. What are you having?"
"The charbroiled rib eye steak. It comes with a baked potato and salad. How bout we get some wine instead of beer for a change?"
"That sounds good to me."
They enjoyed their dinner and topped it off with fresh baked apple strudel ala mode.
On the way back to the cabin, Ennis groaned, "I'm so full I can hardly move."
In a teasing voice, Jack said, "I hope that doesn't mean you're too full for a nightcap."
At first Ennis looked puzzled, but then said, "Jack, what do you think we are, twenty five?"
"Twenty five...I don't feel a day over twenty one."
Ennis chuckled and shook his head, "You gonna at least be easy on me?" he joked.
"We'll see...I'll at least try not to leave any marks on your neck, how's that?"
They both laughed as they drove on to the cabin.
…
The next morning they slept in later than intended. The bed wasn't the most comfortable, and the springs squeaked whenever one of them turned over, but to avoid more laundry, they'd decided not to move to the loft. Ennis went to the kitchen to start some coffee brewing, and they'd bought frozen breakfasts to heat in the microwave. They planned to make sandwiches to take fishing.
It was a great day. They had only fished together twice before, from the boat. Lake fishing was good in its own way. Not near as private, but still good. It was very restful and relaxing. They enjoyed their picnic lunch and the sounds of nature. The fish could have been biting a little more though. Jack caught three and Ennis caught the limit of five. When they got back to the cabin they cleaned the fish so they could freeze them.
"Guess we could have planned to cook them for supper," Ennis said as he finished the cleaning.
"Well, we really didn't know if we'd even catch any, so I think eating out tonight and taking them home was the way to go," Jack added.
Ennis stood up and stretched and handed the pan of fish to Jack. "Let's not forget to take these with us when we leave," Jack said as he took the fish inside.
"You with your twenty-one year old brain shouldn't have any problem remembering," smiled Ennis.
After resting on the deck with a beer, they cleaned up and headed out to Sandy's Sports Bar.
The sports bar had big screen t.v.'s that were showing a Dodger's baseball game. They were hungry, so looked at a menu right off, and decided on fish & chips with their beer. They sat at the bar and ate while watching the game. Afterward, Jack challenged Ennis to a game of pool. As they played, they noticed two pretty women from across the room giving them the eye. They tried to ignore them but it was hard because the women kept staring. After a time, the girls came over and asked if they could join in the next game. Always his friendly self, Jack said alright, and smiled, but knowing Jack as he did, Ennis could tell it was only a half-hearted effort. It was more than Ennis would have done though, not that he was rude, but he didn't like to lead anyone on and waste time. He'd wasted enough time in the past. He knew Jack didn't like hurting anyone's feelings, so that's why he played along, flattering the ladies. This wasn't the first time they'd gotten into a situation like this, and after those times Jack had said, "Never again," yet here they were...again.
They played two games of pool, and then Jack said he felt like kicking back at the bar, so asked Ennis if he was ready to take in some of the game. By the tone of the conversation, the girls must have gotten the message and backed off. Jack and Ennis thanked them for the games, but made it clear that was all they were interested in. The ladies looked a bit dejected, but went on their way.
As they sat at the bar trying to decide whether to have another beer or something for dessert, Jack brought up the idea he'd run past Ennis awhile back after one such occasion as this.
"You know, I still think it would make sense for us to wear wedding rings so women, at least some of them, would see them and maybe leave us alone."
"Some don't care if a man's married or not, they still go full speed ahead," Ennis replied.
"I know, but some wouldn't. It might help."
"Well, I sure as hell don't want to wear my wedding ring I had when I was with Alma. Told you that before."
"We could get new rings. It would help with this problem, plus..." Jack seemed at a loss for words, which didn't happen often.
Ennis could see that Jack was having a difficult time getting his words out so he tried to help. "Why don't we go over to a table and order us some dessert and talk where it's more private."
"Okay, sounds like a good idea."
First they looked at a menu and Jack said, "Hey, they have deep fried ice cream."
That got a reaction from Ennis for sure. "What the hell is deep fried ice cream?"
"Haven't you ever had fried ice cream? They have it at a lot of Mexican restaurants."
"No, can't say I ever have. Think I do remember seeing it on the menu, but it sounded weird. Sometimes when something sounds so out there I just push it out of my mind, sorta like the Naked Cowboy. Is it any good? How's it made?"
Jack explained, "It's ice cream scooped into a ball covered in cornflake or cookie crumbs, then fried in a deep fryer."
Ennis wrinkled his forehead and said, "Some things just don't seem to go together like fried and ice cream, and naked and cowboys."
Jack chuckled, "Well, I'm having some, why don't you give it a try? It's real good, you'll like it." When Ennis didn't answer Jack said, "Have I ever steered you wrong before?"
Ennis laughed out loud but said, "Okay."
After they ordered, Ennis waited for Jack to speak, but when he didn't, Ennis said, "You were saying...about the rings..."
Jack's eyes looked thoughtful and hopeful. His face looked nervous. "I just thought it would be kinda nice if we had rings...maybe even matching ones...I mean, I've said before how it seems like we're married anyway...I wouldn't mind wearing a ring to symbolize that. Is that something you'd ever do? I mean, I know with Alma you had one and all...but with you and me...do you think that would be right?"
It was all Ennis could do to remember where they were at the time and not reach out to touch Jack. He felt so much for that man and he wanted him so damn bad. He looked him in the eye and said, "Yeah, Jack, I'd want to wear a ring with you, sure I would...it seems like maybe we should wait though, till our divorces are final before we take a step like that."
Jack smiled a relieved smile, "Yeah, I see your point, but if we had rings on now, it might keep us from getting into the situation we were in tonight," he said, raising one eye brow.
"Jack, we could avoid these situations if you'd just say no when the ladies come over," Ennis chuckled.
"Yeah, I know," Jack said.
About that time the waitress served their fried ice cream, and they leisurely ate while they enjoyed the end to their evening. Ennis said it was real good and he couldn't believe all the things he'd missed out on before he'd met Jack.
When they got back to the cabin, they debated again about using one of the upstairs beds, but decided to tough it out downstairs. All the fresh air must have had them tired out enough that they both slept like logs and the squeaking didn't bother them, or maybe neither of them moved the whole night...once they got to sleep anyway. Maybe it was the sex that tired them out rather than the mountain air, because it was more than fantastic, and had the springs singing their song. After it was over, Jack snuggled into Ennis' neck murmuring, "Damn," and all Ennis could answer was, "Yeah, damn," and they fell asleep, not to wake till sun up.
The next morning before breakfast, they threw the sheets into the washing machine while they ate. After cleaning the place up and making the bed, they gathered their things, including the frozen fish, and headed out, back to the city and their little home on the water.
To Be Continued...
