A Better Idea - 38
Mother's Day - A Moment Between Here and There
Genre: BBM
Pairing: Ennis / Jack is there any other?
Disclaimer: I created the OC's but not the O/S characters. They belong solely to Annie Proulx, with some tweaking by Larry McMurtry and Diana Ossana. This story is unbeta'd so you have no one to blame but me for errors or controversy.
Rating: A Better Idea is all over the map, but the basic premise is that two men love each other. If you don't like m/m slash, don't read this.
A/N #1: I adore reading other author's fics, and they inspire me to continue to write. But this story, this ABI Universe is all mine.
A/N #2 - Thank you to onefreetoroam and shakestheground, for urging that this topic be clarified sooner, rather than later. And though she encourages me in all things, thanks again to bbmiswear for wishing to see the déjà vu scene.
Feedback: You bet. I hope you like it.
LIGHTNING FLAT, WY
What should we do? Gotta be special, her last Mother's Day in this place. Gonna be hard on her, leaving the place her momma and daddy raised her and her brothers, leaving the one and only home she's ever had. Ennis was busy working through his ideas while he mucked out Signal's stall. He was done with Scarlet and Grey's stalls and had mulled these same thoughts all the while he worked there, but was nowhere closer to a solution.
Church. First thing she'd do on that day was go to church like she done 'most every Sunday. Then what? Dinner. But she always put that in the oven before she left for church . . that's not saving her any work, or making her day special. Jes' for once I wisht I could think like a woman, so I'd know what she'd like.
Deciding that there was a woman he could ask, Ennis saddled up Grey and rode over to talk to Iris. He knew he risked a lot by going over there, but it was for Mom. Jack's Aunt Iris, and now Ennis' too was a formidable woman of less than 5 feet who could hug the life out of an unsuspecting man. Had done it to him on more than one occasion. But he braced his spine and knocked on their screen door, the front door being open to catch the spring breezes.
Ennis saw Walter poke his head out of the kitchen to see what stranger knocked on their door; family would just walked on in. "Come on in, boy, whatchoo doin knockin on our door? Tryna insult us? You know you're family here. Come on, sit down. Want some lunch? Cold drink?" he called. As Ennis came through the door he could hear Walter talking a mile a minute, as usual. And it was all Ennis could do not to laugh. As he walked through to the kitchen, he scanned this very comfortable room. Maybe mom would like a new couch. Naw,bad idea. We'd just have to move it.
And so, he accepted food and drink, and then he told them why he had come. The list of ideas tripled, but finally Iris cut to the chase. "Take her away, kidnap her if you have to, but get her out of her own routine. Surprise her!"
"How come you're wrangling with this on your own? Where's Jack?"
"Oh, he took his daddy to Gillette for his annual check-up and Mom decided to go along, to do some shopping over there."
"Dang, nearly forgot. He had that stroke on May the 9th so it's been four years and time for another Annual. Damn, time flies!" Walter practically whispered this, 'fraid to say it out loud, cause a how lucky they felt they was - to still have Johnny among the livin.
And then he had it.
He'd call Jenny and Junior as soon as he cleared it with Jack. It made him so happy, he was practically dancing a jig when he waved goodbye to Walter and Iris. He wouldn't tell them what he had in mind, but they could tell he was excited about it.
The folks were back when he rode up to the back door. Some tall, dark and handsome man walked out the door, grinning kinda suggestively at him. He come over and pulled him off his horse and kissed the daylights outa him, while running his hands down the front of Ennis' jeans, like a hungry man. "Good gravy Jack, what'd I do to deserve all that?"
"Well, nothing, I don't guess. But that cute mailman is late, and I couldn't wait." And his smile sparkled across his entire face.
You'd a thought he was gone a week, instead of five hours.
"Want some lunch, Cowboy? Mama's setting out sandwich fixings, and some chips and lemonade. It's a do-it-yourself meal."
"Done et."
"Oh, you have, have you? Where'd you eat?"
"At Iris' house. You know you can't escape unless you let them feed and water you to their heart's content."
"True. What was ya doin over there?"
"It's a secret."
"You keepin' secrets from me, boy? DAMN, I missed you today."
"Missed you too, good lookin! c'mere Nope, ain't keeping secrets from you, keepin'em from Mom."
"So you'll tell me later?"
"You bet."
All this last bit was said while nuzzling and nibbling each other, in such gladness, cause they were happiest when in each other's presence.
"WILL YOU TWO cut it out, folk's is gotta eat" and John smiled at them, while holding the screen door open.
Ennis picked at the chips, and had some pickles, and a big, icy glass a lemonade, but he was just being sociable. Iris had stuffed him plumb full already. He listened to their talk about how everything went in Gillette. "I went ahead and made an appointment for next time, thinking we might still be here, but I know we won't. I'll mark the calendar, so we'll be sure 'n cancel on time."
Everyone was ready for a rest, if not an out and out nap. These ordeals wore them out, probably more from the anxiety than any other reason.
Outside, Ennis gave Jack that look. His one eyebrow lifted, suggestively. "Can I give you a lift, fella? You live near here?"
"Yes sir, just down the road, if you don't mind, sir." An innocent Jack pleaded. "But where shall I ride?"
"Take my hand, stranger. Pull you on up behind me. Hang on to me tight, now. Don't fall off."
Jack did as instructed, wrapping his arms around the horseman's waist; he reached down with his fingers to find the warmer regions of Ennis' body . . now growing tight in the denim.
They barely made it home, Jack jumped down off Grey and came around, reaching for Ennis' fly before he could even dismount. "Stay up there." Jack choked out.
He found the mounting block and stood on it bringing his face to groin level - perfect. He first just covered the bulge in Ennis' pants with his open mouth, and blew warm breath onto him. The groan from Ennis' throat was reward enough. Then unzipping him and freeing his eagerness, he took Ennis' hot erection in his mouth, he sucked like there was no tomorrow. Licking and swirling, Jack drove Ennis crazy just the way he'd dreamed of all the way home from Gillette. The groans and squeaks coming from Ennis' mouth did not upset Grey. He was used to this.
"Jesus fucking Christ, Jack, what you do to me, boy!" and then "Uh" and soon "oh fuck, I'm comin already!" Coming on horseback might not be normal for many folks, but these two had to perfect it because they'd spent so many hours together riding side by side, it was a necessity for sure.
The afternoon was spent pleasantly in their own little home, in bed and out of it . . . but together. Ennis told Jack of his idea, and Jack thought it just might be the greatest idea in the history of . . . his mama being Ennis' Mom too.
So Ennis called Jenny and Junior, and they agreed to meet up with him and Jack, Gran and Poppa in Riverton on Saturday,
for a party. Ennis called Herman Stodemeir too, and invited him and told him to bring a date if he wanted. Herman kinda shuffled around hesitantly, sounding a bit embarrassed. "Well, I have asked Virginia, Mrs. Fowler if she'd go out with me sometime.
It could be to your party, Ennis. Call me when you get into town."
Jenny offered to make the hotel reservations for four. Yes, of course, Bobby would be there too! Ennis thought of clever ways he might inform Mom that she was to keep her schedule open, completely open that weekend, and not plan to cook or clean for her men. They brought dad into their confidence, and he was prepared to help run interference for them if need be. BUT and this was a big BUT. She'd have to pack her own overnight case, none of these men was willing to go into a woman's lingerie drawer, or even pick out a nightgown. Good grief!
The next day dawned drizzly, and chill. There were lots more boxes to fill before they could feel ready to move. So Ennis and Jack were upstairs going through stuff. They already had a "to donate" pile, and a "to throw away" pile, but most everything was in a "to keep and pack" pile.
Ennis ran downstairs to get a couple more boxes, and take a leak while he was near the bathroom. When he got back upstairs, Jack was pulling things out of his own little closet. "Just hand me the stuff you want to keep, and I'll pack it Jack. Where'd the tape get to? I need the black marker too. Are you sitting on it?
What's in this box, Jack? Want me to mark it and tape it up?"
"No, baby. I haven't gone through it yet." Jack came to finalize this box, and get some sort of logical process going. At this point, it was just stuff and boxes, willy nilly, all over his floor.
Within 30 seconds, he was sitting on the floor, entranced, pawing through ribbons, leaflets, his Mutton Bustin number "1963" with a safety pin on each corner, a couple of old comic books and what looked like straw. He was so excited about this box of stuff from his childhood, he dumped it out on the floor to see it all.
Jack was stung by nostalgia and sadness, missing his grandparents. Here was a group picture of his grandma and grandpa Bell, his aunts, uncles, cousins, mama, daddy and him at the State Fair. He knew it was '53 cause that's the only year he ever went. In the picture, he was holding his favorite thing, his new black hat grandpa had given him; the one he lost a year later, he never knew where it went. He'd loved black hats ever since, and had always tried to keep one for his "good" hat.
Jack remembered that his grandpa Will had asked a man named Wyler, of the Flying W, to take this picture of the whole family before they all got into the activities and dirt of the fair. He wanted to run show his mama this picture right now!
But when he looked up, Ennis was standing stock still, and staring. . . but not at him.
Ennis had noticed the silence. Jack usually ran a narrative about whatever was on his mind, and this quiet was disconcerting. So he turned to see what Jack was into, and his eyes fell upon a Gabby Hayes Western Comic Book on the floor.
His eyes went from that dog-eared book, to Jack's face, and back to the book. "You're Jack." he said in a tremulous voice.
"What?" Jack asked.
"I'm Ennis. From the fair, Jack. I'm Ennis. I looked for you all that week when my daddy'd let me outa his sights." His eyes were large and hollow like he'd lost his best friend, which is exactly what he was feeling and remembering.
Tbc