60 Years and Forever
The characters are not mine. They belong to the creative genius of Annie Proulx, who brought them to life and into our hearts. Thank you, Ms Proulx.
I wish to dedicate this to my friends and family at the Brokeback Mountain Yahoo Group. You all have been an encouragement to me, not only with my writing, but also with my life for the past 3 years. Thank you for your love and patience. And special thanks to ohiomyown, who gave up her time to beta this story and offer encouragement and writing tips. Last, but not least, I want to thank the two elderly men who sat at the booth across from me at a local steakhouse in Oregon. Your care and affection for each other was the stimulus that inspired me to write this story.
Look at us
After all these years together
Look at us
After all that we've been through
Look at us
Still leaning on each other
If you want to see
How true love should be
Then just look at us
Look at you
Still pretty as a picture
Look at me
Still crazy over you
Look at us
Still believing in forever
If you want to see
How true love should be
Then just look at us
In a hundred years from now
I know without a doubt
They'll all look back and wonder how
We made it all work out
Chances are
We'll go down in history
When they want to see
How true love should be
They'll just look at us
Look At Us – Vince Gill
June, 2023
Elks Pass, Wyoming
"Ennis…ya mangy ol' fart, hurry up or we'll be late!"
Ennis was in their bedroom struggling to get his suspenders untwisted. "I cain't get these son of a bitch braces untangled! And the more I try, the worst they become!"
Jack sighed and came into the bedroom. He straightened out the suspenders, buttoned them to the back of Ennis' pants, turned Ennis around and fastened them to the front. "Make sure they're up high enough. Don't want yer britches falling off that scrawny ass a yer's."
"There was once't a time when you thought this scrawny ass was perty dern good."
Jack chuckled, "Awww, don't worry, Friend. As far as I'm concerned, it still is a mighty fine ass."
As Jack started walking away from Ennis, he felt the tip of Ennis' cane poking him in the butt. "Yer caboose is still good to me, too, Bud. Just a little thicker than it use to be." Ennis chortled to himself as he followed Jack, knowing how sensitive Jack had gotten over the extra pounds he put on his thighs and rear.
………………………….
When they arrived at The Beef Barn, the parking lot was half full.
"Sheeit! I bet we won't get our favorite table, because of all yer dilly-dallyin' around, Ennis."
"Quit yer bitchin'! If I recall, I didn't hear ya complainin' much when I was a dallyin' around with yer dilly earlier."
"That ya didn't, Cowboy that ya didn't." Jack smiled and reached over to give Ennis' crotch a gentle squeeze. "Even after 60 years, you can still work magic with this."
They entered the restaurant, and were immediately greeted by a handsome woman with salt and pepper hair. "Good evening Mr. Del Mar and Mr. Twist. I hope all is well with y'all."
"Evenin' to you, Miz Donna. All is well with us, ceptin' Ennis getting slower and slower as each day goes by." Jack smiled his big toothy grin…Ennis just scowled. "Say, Miz Donna, you wouldn't happen to have that table Ennis and I like available, would ya?"
"I wouldn't give that table to anyone else but you boys on a Saturday night. C'mon, it's all ready for you." She led them across the dining room to a booth with a small "reserved" sign on the table.
Donna was a widow in her mid-70's. She was once a "school marm", as they use to say, down in Texas, but after retiring, moved up to Wyoming. She started taking care of other young'uns to fill her days, now that her own were grown and away from home living their own lives. She started working at The Beef Barn part time as a hostess/cashier to supplement her Social Security, and has been there almost as long as Jack and Ennis have been taking their Saturday night supper there.
Jack and Ennis sat down on the booth side of their table, after placing their hats and canes on the chairs on the opposite side.
"Hey guys. Y'all look good this evening. Celebrating something?"
"Uhm…evenin' Elijah. Not celebratin' anything. Me and Jack are just here for supper."
"Ennis, don't be so damn shy. You know what today is! Elijah, we're celebratin' bein' together for 60 years."
"WOW, fellas! That's great! Congratulations!"
"Can we just order now?" Ennis grumbled in his warm hearted way.
"Sure thing, Uncle Ennis, what'cha havin'?"
Jack piped up, "I'll have my usual steak and taters and a glass of iced tea. Is Nan cooking tonight? That woman can sure work miracles in the kitchen!"
"She's back there whipping up some miracles right now, Uncle Jack. Now how 'bout you, Uncle Ennis"
Ennis looked down at his menu, "I'll have the same, thank ya."
Elijah, named after his grandfather, was a tall good looking boy in his late teens. His grandfather was a decorated veteran from the Gulf War, noted for his excellent marksmanship. After his early retirement from the Army, he made his living in Health Care. He taught Preparedness, and was a man to be counted on when disaster struck. He was affectionately called Sarge out of respect for his rank and Rebel (after his rebellious teen years) by his closest friends.
When young Elijah's parents were killed in a tragic auto accident, Sarge stepped in to raise the boy. He moved them out west to Wyoming for a fresh start. Jack and Ennis were two of the first people Sarge met when he moved there, and they have been friends ever since. "Grandpa Eli" was both mother and father to Elijah since he was 5 years old.
Sarge (or Grandpa Eli) and the boy quickly adopted Jack and Ennis as loving uncles, and over the years, they've been the only family each other had.
After placing their order, Jack looked over at Ennis, smiled and, teasing his quiet man, said, "You need to stop hammerin' yer jaws so much, Ennis. People are gonna start thinkin' you're me."
Well why'd ya have to go spillin' the beans about us to 'Lijah? You know it ain't no one's business but our own."
"Lighten' up, Friend. Why most of these folks been knowin' us so many years, I lost track."
"Well……." Ennis muttered
Their meal was served up in a matter of minutes. As usual, Jack said a quiet prayer, giving thanks for the food and fine friends, and for keeping our boys and girls in the military out of harms way, just like his Mama did for as long as he could remember. After saying their "Amen," both men ate in near silence, savoring the wonderful taste of their perfectly made steaks.
"That woman has a way around the kitchen like no other person I know," Jack said after finishing his last bite and wiping his mouth.
"Mmm...sure nuff. Though I reckon anyone's cookin' is better 'n yer's." Ennis never passed up a chance to remind Jack of his many culinary disasters beginning with the days when they first met herding sheep up in the Big Horns.
"Fuck you and the horse you use to ride in on!" Jack smiled and patted Ennis on the knee. "Had it been 10 years ago, I woulda given ya a finer ride than any bull I ever rode." It saddened Jack that he could no longer get his pecker working like it use to. "I done outlived my dick, but I sure am thankful yer's is still in workin' order.
Ennis couldn't help but agree with Jack on that point.
They topped off their meal with coffee and a couple of Nan's homemade brownies. No one made a softer, chewier, chocolaty brownie than Nan. More than once, Jack had offered to lick the big wood spoon she used to mix the batter. And more than once, she let him know, in no uncertain terms, that the only licking that was gonna be done was the licking on Jack's behind if he didn't leave her be. He never did call her bluff on that, because he knew if he did, he'd be leaving the restaurant with a hurtin' ass. Jack was baffled why this woman has never aged or lost the twinkle in her eyes, even though he first met her 25 years ago when she was a woman in her early 40's.
Ennis noticed the restaurant seemed to be more crowded than usual for a Saturday night. Along with familiar faces, like their neighbors, the Baileys and Kaisers (both Connie and Judy were accomplished authors with each having best selling novels), there were other noted townsfolk; Rick (artist extraordinaire), Matt (nature photographer), Milo (singing voice like an angel) and his partner of many years, and Jessi (published poet). These were faces Ennis recognized. There were a lot of unfamiliar faces, too, which seemed a bit odd to him. But he just kept it to himself.
When Jack sent Elijah off with the money to pay for his and Ennis' meals, Sam, the owner of the restaurant came back with him to the men's table. "Jack, your money isn't good here, anymore. And neither is yours Ennis." Ennis angered and, with righteous indignation, wanted to know why not, and if he and Jack were no longer welcome at the restaurant.
Connie, at the table next to Jack and Ennis', stood up and smiled at Ennis. "Now Ennis, don't get your dander up or your boxers bunched. What Sam is saying is that you and Jack will always be welcome here, but you won't be paying for any more meals."
Why not? We're not charity cases, ya know…huh? We always paid our way every time we ate here. And that's been pert-near 25 years."
"We know that, Ennis. No one here questions your integrity. We know all about you boys, even those folks you may not recognize."
Jack was bewildered. "How's that Connie? It ain't like we're famous, or rich or nuthin'. How's it that these folks come to know us?"
There was quiet laughter from the tables around them. Connie continued.
"Back in the late 90s, there was a story written called Brokeback Mountain. It was about a couple down in their luck ranch boys in their late teens who were partnered to herd sheep up on Brokeback. Through a force of nature, their acquaintance developed into a love that lasted 20 years. The boys' names were Jack Twist and Ennis Del Mar. The story was based on your lives. The author never did reveal how she learned about you, and, years later, didn't even want to talk about the story.
"In 2005, that story was made into a movie by the same name. It starred two young, handsome men to play your parts. One of them is sitting over there." She pointed over to a man with graying black hair and deep blue eyes. He came over to their table and shook their hands.
"My name is Jake. It is an honor to meet you gentlemen. I portrayed you Mr. Twist," Jake said. And with a tear in his eye, he added, "The man who played your part, Mr. Del Mar, couldn't be here tonight, because he died back in 2008. But I know he would have been equally honored to stand here with me to shake your hands."
Connie continued. "While the movie and the actors didn't get all the awards everyone expected, something else even more wonderful came of it and the story. There came a miracle of sorts. Millions of people have had their lives changed. Some of them met on the internet in news groups and discussion forums, and talked about Jack and Ennis. They shared how they have become better, more tolerant, beautiful people. They wrote stories, many times changing the course of Jack's and Ennis' lives. Beautiful songs of celebration and love were sung because of the story. Paintings and drawings were made. Poems and haiku were written about your love for each other, and about the misery of your unfulfilled life due to Jack's untimely death."
"What?? That's just horseshit!" Jack sat up like an old rooster with ruffled feathers. "I'm still alive and kicking!"
"We can see you are. No one knew that you and Ennis really existed, except a few who protected your privacy. In the story, you died either by an unfortunate accident or were murdered by men full of hatred and guile. There are discussions, even to this day, as to which it was. The story ends with Ennis never getting over Jack's death, and living out his days as a lonely, drunk recluse, full of regrets that he never fully allowed himself to love Jack and make a life with him. When we found out there was a real Jack Twist and Ennis Del Mar, we passed this information to a few who were able to respect your privacy and right to live your life as you two chose. Even Andy and Joey (the local cinema owners) wouldn't show the movie over at the Pix Theater. We were afraid if word got out that you really existed, your lives wouldn't be the same. We respected the fact that you never went to the movies and rarely watched television. We got to know the real men of the story. And once we came to know and love you and your love for each other and for your neighbors, we made it our goal to protect and maintain your privacy.
But as the time approached for your 60 years of being together, we wanted to do something special as a way of thanking you for changing our lives for the better. For without your story, fictional and real, we would still be living our own unfulfilled lives. So every one of us, old friend or new, is here tonight to honor you boys and let you know what you have meant to us."
As Connie finished saying this, everyone from all around the dining room stood to their feet and began applauding and cheering these two old men. The actor, Jake, came back to the men's table carrying a gold statuette. A hush fell over the crowd.
"Back in 2009, there was a highly esteemed award given posthumously to the actor who portrayed you, Mr. Del Mar, for his performance in his last movie in 2008. I was chosen to receive this award for my friend." With tears flowing freely down his face, Jake continued, "When I stood before the people in the audience and the millions watching by television, I thanked the Academy for honoring my friend. But I told them that I was receiving this award not only for his role in his last film, but more importantly, for portraying Ennis Del Mar of the story and the movie. You could have almost heard the roar of cheers coming from across the world for this. And now I want to give you this award in memory of the man who brought you to the screen. I know he would have wanted you to have it."
More applause and cheers came from around the restaurant. There wasn't a dry eye in the place. Ennis stood to his feet supporting himself with a hand on Jack's shoulder. He was visibly shaken by all this. He looked at all the faces staring back at him. He didn't like this attention, but he had something to say. So he mustered up the courage and strength to have his say.
"Uhm…I don't ever say too much to folk. I would rather put my words into action, because a man is not judged by what he says, but by what he does and how he is to his neighbors. Jack and me…we never got out often, except around here. Our families didn't care for the fact that we were together, so we didn't see them hardly at all. I guess you could say that all we did was go around the coffee pot lookin' for the handle. We never went to the motion pictures, because we thought it to be a waste of money. Mayhap we shoulda reconsidered that thinkin'."
Muffled laughter was heard around the dining room.
"But I do wanna tell ya…Get up Jack. Help me here" He pulled on Jack's arm. Jack stood up beside Ennis and held onto his arm.
"Go ahead, Cowboy; yer doin' just fine."
"Well I guess I just wanna say 'Thank ya.' Those a ya that Jack 'n me know'd for so many years, know we love all a ya. But that don't mean a man cain't make a place in his heart for new friends, too. Uhm…I…no…Jack 'n me…well we just want to say we appreciate ya. Thank you."
Ennis took his clean, white hankie from his back pocket and wiped the tears from his eyes. Jack couldn't think of anything worth adding to his partner's words, so he just stood there and nodded.
Things livened up after that. Cake and ice cream was passed about. Nan even brought out her wood spoon covered with brownie batter and gave it to Jack to lick clean. People mingled with each other, many of them saying "Howdy" to old friends for the first time. And each any every one of them came to introduce themselves and shake the hands of these two old men.
As things were coming to a close, Ennis and Jack excused themselves, saying they were tired and needed to get home to bed. Donna gave them each a kiss on the cheek and told them their table would be waiting for them next week. Crossing the parking lot, they noticed license plates from all over; California, Texas, Maryland, Florida, Kentucky, Ohio, Colorado, New York, and even from Canada. As they passed a red pickup truck, they saw a man sitting by himself in it. He had his head bowed and was wiping his eyes with his kerchief. It was the old guy from Florida who introduced himself and shook their hands back in the restaurant. He looked over their way, smiled and nodded his head to them. They did likewise back to him.
When they got home, Ennis placed the statuette on the mantle over the fireplace and stood back to admire it. Satisfied with the way it looked, he walked slowly to the bedroom he and Jack had shared for over half a century. Jack was already crawling into bed when he entered.
Because of a shortage of hangers, Ennis put his shirt over Jack's, pulling the arms of Jack's shirt down through the arms of his own shirt. He figured the shirts were less likely to wrinkle this way. He padded off to the bathroom to finish up his nightly ritual of washing his face and brushing his teeth. When he returned to the bedroom, he could hear Jack softly snoring. Getting into bed, Ennis spooned up against Jack's back and wrapped his arm around him. He leaned forward and softly kissed Jack on the back of his neck and whispered in his ear, "I love you, Jack Fuckin' Twist." Jack leaned back into Ennis and murmured, "I love you, too, Friend."
As they slept together that night, they both slipped from this life into eternity.
……………………………………………
The next thing they became aware of, they were standing side by side outside in a place that looked familiar to them, and yet was different. There were rolling green meadows, snow tipped mountains in the distance, and a blue sky with billowing white clouds. Just to their side was a babbling creek with two deer drinking from its water. Beyond the creek was a small log cabin surrounded by lush, green grass. Smoke was curling out of the stone chimney.
As they looked around, they were even more surprised when their gaze fell on each other. They didn't see two old men pushing 80 years old. Instead they were looking at the young and robust 19 year old men they were when they first met.
"What happened Ennis…where are we?"
"I don't know Bud, but I don't think it's Wyoming."
A voice out of nowhere said to them, "Jack…Ennis…don't be afraid." It was a kind, loving voice. "You have passed from your earthly life to your eternal life. This is your place in heaven I have prepared for you."
"But I thought sinners like us were just marched off to Hell."
"That's what you were told, Jack, by those boasting to know My mind. Who do you think brought the two of you together? It was I, not some force of nature or the Devil. I looked into each of your hearts and saw the loneliness and pain. I knew the only one to break through your pain, Jack, was Ennis. And Ennis, the only one to break down the wall of fear around your heart was Jack. You two faced many challenges through your years on earth. You responded to those who hated and condemned you with love and forgiveness. When your neighbors lost their barn to a fire, you were the first ones there to help them rebuild. When others were without, you gave to them from your own bounty. You never thought you were better than anyone, because their skin was a different color or they spoke a different language. Yes, you had your faults and shortcomings; what man doesn't? But they weren't enough to keep you away from Me. So this is My promise to you. You will be together always. You will no longer age, or be ill, or know pain, or cry. You will never hunger or be cold. You will never want for anything. I will be with you forever, because I love you."
As soon as the voice left them, Jack and Ennis just stood there, speechless, glowing in the unconditional Love that was given to them.
Eventually, they both turned to go to their heavenly cabin. Standing on the porch was a young cowboy no older looking than them. He was a handsome man with dark blond hair and brown eyes. He stepped off the porch to greet them, smiling a beautiful dimpled smile.
"My name is Heath. I was the man who portrayed you, Ennis. My partner, Jake told you about me and gave you my award. I've waited a long time to be able to stand before you men and shake your hands and thank you. If it weren't for you, and the story that was written about you, Jake and I would never have met and fallen in love and made our own life together. We only spent a few years together on earth, and although it will be many years before he passes into this life, I will be waiting to spend eternity with him. We will be your friends throughout time."
No longer feeling shy or self-contained as he did in his mortal life, Ennis pulled Heath into his arms and gave him a joyful hug. Jack, with tears of happiness, also hugged his new friend.
"Jack, Ennis, are you ready to see your cabin now?"
The three men turned and walked towards the cabin with Ennis' excited voice rising clearly towards the mountains, and Jack's laughter followed them inside their new home.
Welcome Home, Boys…Welcome Home!