just the two of us

waiting

It was only a matter of finding a place now.

Jack put a few hundred dollar bills onto the log between him and Ennis.
"This is for the cabin. If they give you any troubles, call me. You got my number on you."
Ennis looked at the string-bound pile of money, jaw agape. "Alla this?" He smiled - partly in shock, partly in anticipation.
"You betcha. Now go find us a nice place." Jack planted a kiss on Ennis' cheek, lifted his hat and skipped back to his car. "I'll be back in a week or too. I'll write you a letter."
"I'll be waitin'." Ennis smiled back.

Jack pulled away and returned to the familiar long haul from Wyoming to Texas. His cherry demeanour wouldn't suggest his drive back to Texas was just to file for the divorce. Unlike most people off to end a marriage, Jack was beaming. Not because he was losing his wife and his boy, but he was taking advantage of leaving one situation for another one he much preferred. He didn't take into account the possible repercussions, not for now. His excitement held him upright, giving him a fast yet sleepless ride back to Childress.

Ennis took the money and shoved it into his bag. He packed up the rest of their campsite and took one more good look at Pine Creek, breathing the smell of the evergreen trees and taking in the nature before heading home. The mountains beyond the horizon stood tall and warmly lit by the setting sun. The peaks turned warm oranges and pinks during this time of day. Something about it reminded him of Jack.

Once Ennis returned to his trailer, he grabbed all the recent newspapers he could find with listings of places for sale. He tuned his radio for some background noise. A new Simon and Garfunkel song came on. Ennis wouldn't have been fond of them if it wasn't for his daughter Alma Jr - who told him in confidence they had a crush on Simon. The melodic guitar strumming and warm sounds of the two men's voices drifted trough Ennis' home.

"Let us be lovers, we'll marry our fortunes together
I've got some real estate here in my bag
so we bought a pack of cigarettes..."

Ennis walked into his bedroom and listened to the sound fade behind the wall. He laid out all the papers on his bed, flipping through well over a month's worth of issues before landing on one the pair of them could afford. He traced his finger over it.

"This'll be all ours, Jack." He wrote out beside it, cutting out the listing and taping it to a postcard. "Let me know what you think. Talk soon. Good luck with the family. Ennis."

He tried to rub the sleep from his eyes and groaned, knowing it was time for him to stop neglecting his body for today. He pulled himself from his work and retired beside the pile of papers.

The next afternoon, Ennis sent out all his letters, made all the necessary calls, and set out to meet the landowners for a tour.
"Great place. Cozy." He wrote back to Jack.
"Amazing." Jack had responded in a week's time. "Drop off the money whenever you're ready. My divorce should be going through by Winter. See you real soon."
Ennis smiled as he read the last sentence. He handed the funds in the next day. If he would've waited any longer he could have given himself time to think the whole plan through - which was the last thing he wanted to do out of fear for the worst case scenario. 'Whatever happens', he thought, 'Jack an' I'll be together.' The thought of it helped him sleep at night, so as far as he was concerned, all is well.