gwyllion | Raindrops on the Windshield

Title: Raindrops on the Windshield
Author: gwylliondream
Genre: canon
Pairing: Ennis/Jack
Rating: PG-13
Words: 907
A/N: I used this piece for one of my Movie Last Author Standing challenge entries where the prompt was “Say the word.” I’m still standing, so it must have worked out okay! I’m recycling it a bit for the Brokeback Slash April Challenge.
Disclaimer: I did not create these characters. No disrespect intended. No profit desired, only muses.
Comments: Comments are welcome anytime, thanks so much for reading!

Jack stomped down the hall, his boots pounding into the plush carpet. He flew past the closet door on his way to the bedroom, but thought twice about where he had left the object of his search. The blue parka he needed for his trip to the colder climes of the Tetons had last been seen during the ice storm that pelted Texas back in February.

He reached for the handle and flung open the closet door. His hands pushed and prodded at the coats and jackets that had accumulated over the dozen years they had lived in the house on Meadow Lane. He shoved the garments aside, some still wrapped in plastic from the dry cleaners. His freshly pressed suit, ready to make him look as sharp as the good old boys at the National Farm Machinery convention next month smashed against Lureen’s new fur that undoubtedly would be the talk of the Grange Hall social. He took care to spread the clothing out so the fur wouldn’t get crushed too badly when he completed his search.

The elusive blue parka, the one that Ennis said complemented his eyes, making them look as blue as a Yellowstone lake, wasn’t here among the coats and umbrellas. His breath caught in his throat, remembering the endearing sentiment that came from the man of few words.

He slammed the door shut.

The picture of Bobby shuddered on the wall, slipping on its mount. Jack stroked a finger along the frame’s edge, unwilling to leave it askew in the hallway.

“Bobby,” Jack breathed, setting the picture right.

The boy looked just like Jack did when he was that age. Bobby’s smart mouth got him into trouble too, or so Jack had been told by Bobby’s teacher at their last meeting.

“A chip off the old block,” Jack said. He let his thumb smooth over the tousled hair and porcelain skin depicted in the photograph.

Jack hadn’t wanted children at all, but somewhere deep down he was glad he and Lureen had the boy. He felt a sense of relief that he was given the opportunity to ignore the way his own father had raised him. Bobby had sat on Jack’s lap pretending to steer tractors and combines before he could even talk. Although the boy struggled with reading, had dyslexia, or something close to it, Jack didn’t mind getting on his teacher’s nerves about assigning the boy a tutor or making sure she did a better job of educating the kid herself.

“Shit,” Jack said, looking at his wristwatch. Bobby had left on the school bus an hour ago. He had to get driving now if he wanted to make it to the Tetons by midnight.

He marched down the hallway to Lureen’s office, wondering if he should bother her about the blue parka again.

The click of her manicured fingernails echoed through the room as she punched numbers into the adding machine. He watched her from the doorway, just where she had been when he left the room one cup of coffee ago. She didn’t look up from her work this time.

Jack smiled a little before he gave up looking for the missing parka.

“Lureen,” he whispered so softly that she couldn’t hear him over the striking keys, tallying their fortune.

He closed his eyes and breathed deep. She was only trying to help by pointing out that Jack had been making the day-long drive to the Tetons two or three times a year now. Her suggestion that his fishing buddy make the trip to Texas in reciprocation was offered out of her concern for him. He couldn’t hold that against her. Some things weren’t fair.

Jack let his head fall back against the wall.

“The prettiest little gal in Texas,” he had described his wife to Ennis all those years ago. He supposed she still was pretty, when he compared her to the other wives that socialized within their circle of friends. She was smart to boot, running her daddy’s business the way she did so it pulled in a profit every year.

He couldn’t blame her for chiding him about making another trip to Wyoming. Hell, he should be grateful that she let him do his own thing, even if he’d freeze to death this week without that parka.

He stood upright and turned around, grabbing the keys off the kitchen table as he made his way to the garage.

The truck had been fueled up the night before, so there would be no need to stop for gas, at least until he got into Colorado.

He backed out of the driveway, leaving his life behind. The week would pass quickly. They always did. There was never enough time when he and Ennis roamed the mountains together, riding horses, hunting elk, making love.

A few raindrops hit the windshield.

Jack would forget about his fancy house, his son, and pretty wife, to become lost in the amber eyes of a cowboy. No riches could compare to being held in the arms of the man he had loved for so many years. He was more than willing to leave all he had behind.

He flipped on the wipers as he pulled onto the highway, cursing the rain that would slow his progress.

He’d ask Ennis about starting a cow and calf operation again. Maybe Ennis would be ready this time. He only had to say the word.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

From:

sjmarv.livejournal.com

Ever hopeful Jack. Maybe one day...

Thanks for the one-shot. Nicely written. I just watched this scene from the movie today as I was writing my entry. Somehow writing my own version helped make the movie less painful to watch this time.

Susan

From:

Raindrops on the Windshield

Page Summary

Style Credit

Expand Cut Tags