Valentine - Entry for February Love Letters Challenge
Title: Valentine
Genre: post!canon
Word count: 358
Disclaimer: Ennis and Jack belong to Annie Proulx. I don't make any money from it.
Warnings: yes, it's post!canon
Valentine
Ennis pushed his cart along the aisles in the small store. Bread, bacon, eggs, coffee, potatoes. He'd add two packs of cigarettes at the counter. No frills, just what would get him through the two free days ahead of him. That, and the whiskey he had bought at the liquor store. He pushed toward the counter, circling his cart around a too big rack of Valentine's cards someone had put in the middle of the aisle. Damn stuff. The whole rack seemed to glow in red and pink. Hearts and roses flashing from every card, oozing out sugary sweetness he thought one could become diabetic from. One card caught his eye. Not pink, not red, no roses, not colorful at all. Just black and white. Without even wanting it, his hand picked it off the rack. No words on it, he didn't even know if it was a Valentine's card or if it had gotten sorted in the rack by accident.
Two horses on it, putting their heads together. Maybe it was a Valentine's card after all, he could see a heart in the picture, formed by the hoses' heads. Without thinking, he added the card to his groceries.
At home, he opened the cellophane sealing of the card, curious if there was anything printed in it. Happy Valentine's Day, Be my Valentine, I only have eyes for you, any of the sappy sweetness the card's front was missing. There wasn't. Just a blank card with two horses. Just right.
Groceries still on the counter, nothing in his stomach but a part of the whiskey and and the nauseating feeling of too many cigarettes, Ennis sat in front of the card, looking at it with a smile, or misty eyes, or both. He patted his pockets, searching and finding a pen.
Miss you.
Two words, they were enough. He folded the card, put it in the envelope, licked the gumming and sealed it.
No addressing, there was nowhere he could send it to.
He opened the drawer of his nightstand half an inch and let the card slip in. Knowing it was there had to be enough.
Genre: post!canon
Word count: 358
Disclaimer: Ennis and Jack belong to Annie Proulx. I don't make any money from it.
Warnings: yes, it's post!canon
Valentine
Ennis pushed his cart along the aisles in the small store. Bread, bacon, eggs, coffee, potatoes. He'd add two packs of cigarettes at the counter. No frills, just what would get him through the two free days ahead of him. That, and the whiskey he had bought at the liquor store. He pushed toward the counter, circling his cart around a too big rack of Valentine's cards someone had put in the middle of the aisle. Damn stuff. The whole rack seemed to glow in red and pink. Hearts and roses flashing from every card, oozing out sugary sweetness he thought one could become diabetic from. One card caught his eye. Not pink, not red, no roses, not colorful at all. Just black and white. Without even wanting it, his hand picked it off the rack. No words on it, he didn't even know if it was a Valentine's card or if it had gotten sorted in the rack by accident.
Two horses on it, putting their heads together. Maybe it was a Valentine's card after all, he could see a heart in the picture, formed by the hoses' heads. Without thinking, he added the card to his groceries.
At home, he opened the cellophane sealing of the card, curious if there was anything printed in it. Happy Valentine's Day, Be my Valentine, I only have eyes for you, any of the sappy sweetness the card's front was missing. There wasn't. Just a blank card with two horses. Just right.
Groceries still on the counter, nothing in his stomach but a part of the whiskey and and the nauseating feeling of too many cigarettes, Ennis sat in front of the card, looking at it with a smile, or misty eyes, or both. He patted his pockets, searching and finding a pen.
Miss you.
Two words, they were enough. He folded the card, put it in the envelope, licked the gumming and sealed it.
No addressing, there was nowhere he could send it to.
He opened the drawer of his nightstand half an inch and let the card slip in. Knowing it was there had to be enough.