"Ah god damnit!" Jack cussed as his truck that was now stationed at the side of the road. He'd just gotten a flat tyre, standing next to the piece of crap he kicked the rim with his left boot and sliently cussed again. He'd been making the journey to Riverton and at the moment he was only 3 miles out of Childress and still had a 14 hour ride ahead of him.

He wouldn't tell Ennis the reason for showing up unexcepted, he'd tell him the half truth, the truth about missing him. Jack hadn't seen Ennis in months and had been distraught after finding out Ennis couldn't get November. Jack had often wondered if he had lied to him and just didn't wanna see him, for a while he even convinced himself that Ennis was sick of him and this was his silent way of saying so. Though this thought was pushed away because he knew Ennis felt the same way, though words to that nature were ever exchanged and never would be. It was a silent agreement that these two cowboys had and it was one that neither wanted to break no matter how hard certain times got, those certain times seeming more frequent of late. Jack had lied to his own son so many times just to see this man for 2 days at a time and now he felt Ennis was backing out of the very few chances they had of being together. Jack knew he was probabily being selfish in wanting Ennis to leave his girls behind and he knew they weren't in the same situation. Yet.

Jack didn't know how long his own marriage was going to last, weeks? he didn't even think months.Lureen had been off with another guy for months now and Jack's yerning for Ennis was getting worst, he was taking more frequent trips to Mexico to try and reconnect himself to those feelings he had on Brokeback Mountain. Though never succeeding. Even though the guys never looked, felt or acted like Ennis it still helped his imagination run wild, more so then when he was with Lureen, It just wasn't the same. It wasn't the same with anyone but Ennis.

Jack stood at the side of the truck for about 5 minutes just staring off down the long stretch of road that was in front of him, the road he wished he was still on, not next to. He pulled out a cigarrette and lit it. The nicotine calming his anger as he started to look for the jack that he thought was in the back of his truck. He wasn't that far from town and if he had to he's walk to go and get help but he really wanted to get this fixed as soon as possible. He searched until his cigarette had disappeared

"Son of a bitch!" he shouted finding the jack wasn't there.

Then he remembered he's taken it out when he was fixing his daddy's truck up in Lighting Flat. Which ment the jack was still there too. He was stuck and now had to go back into town to get help. He checked and made sure that the spare type was inflated and ready to be used. He locked his truck and then began the three mile walk to Childress.

As he began his walk he started thinking back to times of when him and Ennis were young, real young, still in their teens when they met. Not having to worry about kids or if their wives suspected, they were happier in them days and though Ennis' temper was still just as explosive he wasn't the same man, he was passionate sure but somehow he seemed almost like he didn't care Jack thought.

Of course he did care and at the moment he was sat at home miserable as anything as his daughters read to him. Dare he say it he missed Jack and he wanted to see that michevous smile of his again, this thought caused a very small but noticable smile to appeared on his own lips.

Alma looked up and smiled "What is it Daddy?"

"Nothin', you just go back to ya readin'"

Jack kicked at the dirt beneath his feet and his thoughts of Ennis faded and thoughts of his father in law's threats filled his ears.

"You stay the hell away from my daughter and my grandson you..." he whispered and trailed off and the grip on Jack's arm got tighter.

Lureen's father had been hearing rumors about Jack, even went as far as sending someone to follow him on one of his trips to Mexico. What the follower came back and told Mr Newson shocked him and he felt sick that Jack had been even looking at his daughter nevermind kissing and touching her.

"MY SON...AND YOU'LL WHAT?" Jack spat at the man he despised

"Boy, you don't wanna know WHAT!" Mr Newson's voice rose with the venuom he released

He'd threated Jack numeous times since then and on the last occassion told him if he ever showed his face in town it'd been smashed against the ground until he could no longer see or feel anymore. That was two days ago and this was the reason he was leaving to see Ennis. He wasn't scared and he guessed it gave him an excuse to be with Ennis properly, but would it? Jack knew Ennis wouldn't settle down with him even though they had both left their families but at least it ment they could be nearer one another especially if Jack ,like he planned came and lived in Riverton.

Jack was dragged from his thoughts when he heard someone kicking the dirt behind him, following him? He turned around looking ever so slightly from under his hat, but not enough so show his own face but just enough that he saw 4 sets of feet coming into view. He didn't want any confrontation. But maybe they weren't here for a fight, maybe, just maybe they'd seen him walking along the road and seen his truck stationed a few yards back. He ignored them and carried on walking, if they wanted to help surely they'd call out to him and ask. But maybe, and this was the reason Jack was still walking and not waiting for them to catch up, maybe they'd heard from that bastard that he had "infected" his daughter with his diease as he'd so kindly put it

"I swear it Jack Twist if she get ill or even dies from what ever sinful act you've been carrying out, your life won't be worth living!"

Jack actually shudded at that memory, How was it a diease? How was it a diease to be in love, to want someone so bad that because you're not near them you ache and sometimes your own son finds you crying in your bathroom leaving you speechless on how to explain.

If being in love was a diease then the whole world was infected.

"HEY!" Jack was pulled out of his thoughts again, but this time by a gruff voice that seemed nearer then he'd remembered the footsteps. Jack took a deep breathe and turned around

"Yeah?" he finally stopped

"Just want'd to know if you needin' any help?"

Jack sighed in relief, they were just here to help "Oh, um yeah sure"

"Saw you were having a little problem with ya truck" the large man explained looking behind him as the three rather small men stood silently in his view

"Yeah gotta flat"

Jack walked over and was finally now stood with the four other men as they all made their way back to the truck which was now next to another truck, but a much newer cleaner one. The men made their way to the truck and began talking about present events, afer a few minutes two of the smaller men went and got the jack to help change the tyre

"So you know Newson?"

Jack visabily froze and his heart beat quickened at the mention of that name, he'd have to lie, maybe he was just being paranoid and they were just being friendly, hearing gossip. How would they know who he was?

"Um, heard the name" Jack tried to shrug it off bending down looking at the wheel

"See, I hear his daughter married a queer and that he'd been goin' off to Mexico and's been havin it with some boy"

"Can't say I heard"

"Yeah, I heard he'd been goin' away frequent like, aint natural is it, two men...together"

They must know, they had to know they were probing way to much not to at least suspect, Jack said nothing keeping his eyes firming fixed to the tyre. He formed no reply

"It's a Sin, everyone knows fags go to hell, aint that right all queers go to hell?"

Another one finally spoke as the two who'd left minutes before had returned with with jack

"I hear he's got a son unall, shame. How can a fag father a child, a son for that matter. Let's just hope he'd not infected too" stressing the word "infected"

Jack knew he was dead from the moment that word left the man's lips. These were Newson's men, Newson's men to come and kill him.

He slowly raised his head and saw in the truck mirror the image of a snarl, The last thing he saw before he died, Not Ennis like he'd always thought and wanted, but this ugly, sweaty obese man holding a tire iron.