A Better Idea
Chapter Eight
Lureen Newsome Twist was vaguely uneasy and not just about the situation with Bobby. She kept going back to the voice on the telephone; what he said, and what he didn't say.
The first stunning realization was that Jack hadn't been lying all these years. So Ennis Del Mar does exist, and he is a male fishing buddy just like Jack always said. Many times Lureen had thought that there was no Ennis, no fishing trip, and no Bighorn Mountains, but that it was all an elaborate smokescreen set up by Jack to cover a decades-long affair, or as they say in the movies, Another Woman.
She knew she should be feeling relieved right about now because Jack had been telling her the truth all along. But the uneasiness showed no signs of going away.
She remembered the many times he was getting ready to go meet Ennis in Wyoming, how Jack would take such great pains with his preparations. Days in advance of his planned departure he would: clean the tent and blankets and let them air dry, pack gear and clothing for any weather eventuality, water-proof his boots, wash and wax that truck, rub down his saddle till it was supple and gleaming, even plan meals and make sure he had all the ingredients packed in waterproof containers and zip-lock bags. The day before he left he would top off the gas tank so that once on the road he would not have to stop as early or often on his way to meet his friend in the Bighorn Mountains.
The odd thing is that none of this is like Jack. Her Jack is handsome, charming and a smooth off-the-cuff speaker. He meets new people easily, will try new things, buys the newest gadgets, but Jack is NOT a Preparer, Jack is NOT a Planner, definitely NOT a Detail-oriented person who writes a To-Do list and checks off each item like a NASA Rocket Man; 10, 9, 8, 7, 6. No, her Jack would just Blast Off to the Moon and worry about the details if and when they came up or presented a problem. For his Wyoming fishing trips, Jack became a NASA Rocket Man, ticking off each completed item.
Nothing shakes Jack Twist. The man Lureen married calmly anticipates a Combine Sales Presentation for their major clients, hosting a community charity event, or being interviewed by the Childress Sentinal for the Business section, without a single moment of nervousness. She sometimes thinks he has ice-water in his veins.
When something doesn't please him he speaks up about it right away, no holding back. For this reason also, they never have big fights because everything is handled or discussed right when it comes up. Unlike many men, Jack has no problem discussing issues, nor even apologizing if it turns out that he is wrong. He is always quite open and sincere.
On the other hand, before Jack leaves for Wyoming every time he fidgets. Fidgets! More than once Lureen has noticed him bouncing his leg like he has the jitters, and as the day draws near for his departure he is so excited he paces the floor. It makes her think of a beautiful, thoroughbred horse in the starting gate trembling with anticipation.
What's wrong with this picture? she thought.
With his wife Jack is funny, teasing, friendly, perhaps like the brother she never had? No, it feels more like a best friend. With her, he is never dark and passionate. Oh, they make love, but usually because she makes a move towards him. Yes, Jack definitely likes sex with her, he's always willing and able. Jack is just so sweet, he is a cuddler, he doesn't roll over and go right to sleep after sex, they chat or laugh. Her girlfriends envied her when they heard that.
Hell, they already envied her when they saw her fine looking husband, she knew that, she could see their eyes dart over to check him out. For so long, she thought that was everything, that it was enough.
When they first met, it was obvious that she and Jack came from different worlds. She was used to having every thing and every opportunity that she wanted, and was used to being doted on. Jack was used to having nothing but what he could carry in that ratty old truck, and damn little of that. I fear that Jack doesn't even know what doting looks like, she thought.
Making it look surprisingly effortless, Jack had fit in everywhere she introduced him, except with her daddy. Well, let's face it she thought, no man alive would ever be good enough for L.D.'s little Lureen. She assumed that with time her father would come around; he would see how good Jack was to her, see how happy she was, and he'd be reconciled to the marriage. They could all be a real family then. But it had never happened.
Partly Lureen felt guilty about this because she went after Jack wanting him for herself, but knowing her daddy would hate him. He would hate her settling for a dirt poor rodeo rider without a cent to his name, nor any standing in the community, an itinerant really. She could not forget the most unforgivable put down of all. L.D. Newsome never called his son-in-law Jack, not once. He tagged him with the name "rodeo" and that was it from then on. It was not an endearment, it was meant as a reminder of where he came from.
When Jack finally had enough and stood up to L.D. it was the beginning of the end. Her daddy was not above sulking, and sulk he did. Till the day he died he would not make it up with Jack, and consequently, every family gathering was tense and strained. Most folks would probably have ceased having them. But Lureen was an only child and needed her parents' approval as well as their presence at every holiday and at every celebration.
When her daddy died the animosity was still there to the bitter end. He never accepted Jack. L.D. constantly made light of Jack's genuine sales abilities, his intelligence and of his traits as a husband and father. It wasn't fair to Jack and she could remember him pulling away in self defense.
It's true enough, and it shamed her, that she did not stand up for Jack like she should've. Her daddy was bull-headed and he could get loud if you disagreed with him. He was a man used to getting his own way.
Those memories of how her family, especially her father, treated Jack makes her realize, possibly for the first time, just how much he has put up with all these years. Guess it's no wonder he needs to get away, relax and go fishing two or three times a year, she thought.
Lureen's thoughts returned to today's conversation with Ennis Del Mar. He was certainly knowledgeable about Jack's exact whereabouts, he was helpful but she could tell he was clenching up as the conversation wore on.
Concern for her and Bobby's safety and well-being flowed easily from his mouth. What did he know about them, really? He had not met her nor Bobby; so did Jack talk about his family while they were fishing? On the phone he almost felt like a family member, his tone was that familiar.
From what the man said, he lives several hours away from Jack's parents' house. And yet he dropped everything to come to the aid of a fishing buddy.
Lureen tried to think of one of her friends who would do as much if needed.
She couldn't think of a single one.
I wonder if Ennis has a serious girlfriend? He said he and his wife have been divorced for several years. Wonder why Jack never mentioned any of that to her?
Come to think about it, Jack never offers any details about his time away on his fishing trips. Anything else Jack does, he recites chapter and verse about what occurred. He shares the good stuff, the bad stuff, the trivial and boring stuff. But never one word about his time spent in the Bighorn Mountains with Ennis Del Mar.
And then there's the drinking.
As a young married couple, they would have a beer or two at a Friday night barbeque, but that was the extent of their drinking.
As they became more well known in the business community, there were more dinners, more dances, always there was a bottle nearby, in addition to the beers they started with, and then wine for her, as well. But still, they were moderate drinkers, both of them.
The problem became evident about 7 or 8 years ago, around 1975. Jack's drinking suddenly became markedly heavier. Every time he came back from one of his fishing trips, it seemed he was drinking to become obliterated. Wasted, Unconscious. At those times, she could not get through to him, nor understand what was driving him so mercilessly. It was crazy to think it, but she almost got the feeling that he wanted to forget where he was.
The idea that was developing was murky, something was not right, that much was evident. Lureen's head hurt, and she had a bad feeling in the pit of her stomach. Whatever it was she was trying to find, or figure out, it eluded her, just out of her grasp. However, one thing Lureen felt to be true; if she could connect all the dots in this puzzle, the picture that would emerge would be of one Ennis Del Mar.