brokeback mountain one-shots and short stories

Home (part one)

It had been a month since Ennis and Jack had last seen each other up at Brokeback. 

Things had been pretty rough for them back at home with their families. Not being able to stand the constant arguing, and the disagreements over how they would watch the kids while the other was at work, Ennis had finally decided to divorce Alma. Jack, while a little more stable in his marriage, still had a rocky relationship with Lureen, but especially with her family... mainly her father. Jack just had the gut feeling that her father hated him. This, in turn, led to more arguing, until Jack decided he couldn't take it anymore. 

Ennis and Jack had been keeping in touch through postcards in the mail, each eagerly waiting for the other's response, just like a child waiting to open presents on Christmas morning. 

They wrote to each other about their rocky relationships, the achievements of their children as they grew older and really, just how life was going. 

One day in August, Jack received a card in the mail from Ennis, saying that he had just gotten divorced. While he felt bad, Jack also hoped on the inside that this finally meant that Ennis would agree to move in with him somewhere. 

After a couple postcard exchanges later, the two of them had agreed to move in with each other to a ranch up on Brokeback Mountain.  

It was such a relief for both of them to settle on an agreement, finally putting an end to all the nonsense that went on at home for the both of them.

Jack had agreed to pick Ennis up from where he was living in Wyoming. The money Ennis was making at his job wasn't sufficient, so he had been renting a truck from a local man in town to help him get around. He had returned the truck a few days before Jack was on his way to pick him up. 

Jack had already loaded his truck with his belongings and was adding finishing touches to everything he had packed. It was a long drive from Texas all the way up to Wyoming: 15 hours to meet Ennis and pick him up.

Giving one last look at his old place in Texas, Jack finally hopped into his truck at 5:30 in the morning and closed the door, making a hearty slam. He was on his way. It'd take about two days to get there, considering the stop he'd have to take in between to rest.

Jack had been driving for about 8 hours that day, trying not to stop in between, when he decided it was enough, and time to pull off at a motel. 

It was a little after 12am when Jack pulled over at a lonely seeming Motel 6 in Colorado. It was a desolate area, not one of the major parts of the state. The establishment was only lit by the hazy yellow glow of streetlights that were evenly scattered across the crumbling asphalt of the parking lot. 

He hopped out of the front seat, somewhat weak at the knees and walked to the trunk to pull out a duffle bag that contained clothes and things he needed for the night.

He sluggishly walked over to the front entrace, trying to shake out his legs from the strain on the way to the lobby. 

A middle-aged woman sat at the front desk. Her eyes widened as an exhausted Jack rambled in through the automatic door that slid open.

"You're here pretty late in the night, aren't ya?" She said, reaching down into a drawer for a booklet and a pen. 

"Yeah," Jack replied. "I'm driving up to meet a buddy in Wyoming."

"Now that's sweet. How was the drive?" She chirped, causing somewhat of an annoyance in Jack who was spent and not in the mood for conversation. He just needed sleep. 

"Was good, not too bad. I'm lookin' for a room for the night." He answered, trying to hurry up their little exchange.

"Sure, I'll get you set up." She quickly replied, realizing that Jack was in no frame of mind to strike up a conversation.