Encounter - Chapter Twenty-One
~*~*~*~*~*
Sleep eluded Ennis. He was in bed by three thirty a.m., a rarity, and though he was exhausted, he tossed and turned, stressing about Jack. He sat up, stuffing his pillow between his back and the wall, and remembered what it was like when he, his brother and his sister received the news their parents had died. His brother, K.E., was the oldest and was responsible for watching Ennis and his sister until their folks got home. Hours and hours passed, until finally, a state trooper appeared at their door. Ennis, then only ten years old, watched the scene unfold; K.E.’s eyes overflowing with tears, though he tried to control them and “be the man”; his sister crumpling in a heap on the floor; the trooper holding his hat in his hands, eyes averted, unsure what to say to the three children whose parents were ripped from their lives. And Ennis…he stood there, stony-faced, arms limp at his sides, not believing what the officer had said. His breath began coming in gasps, the pressure inside his stomach intensifying, rising through his esophagus into his throat, until it finally burst loose in an agonized scream. In that instant, he rushed the police officer, his hands balled into fists, wanting to inflict pain on the one who had delivered such horrifying news.
K.E. caught him before he made contact with the trooper. And to his credit, the officer handled it rather well. While K.E. held onto Ennis, and their sister continued to sob on the floor, the trooper asked if there was anyone he could call. Their neighbor, kind Mrs. Hathaway, was lured to the house by the police cruiser, and she was able to help the trooper locate their mother’s address book and call their grandparents. There was no rushing to the hospital to say good-bye. The Del Mars were dead when their bodies were pulled from the car wreckage.
Ennis sat in the dark, allowing tears to trickle down his cheeks. How long had it been since he cried over his parents? How many things had gone unsaid between his parents and him? If he knew that morning, when his mother handed him the brown paper sack containing his meager lunch, it would be the last time he’d see her, he would have told her he loved her. He would have hugged her and even kissed her cheek. The night before, when his dad settled into his favorite chair to read the newspaper and had only grunted when Ennis said, “Good night,” Ennis would have hugged him, regardless of how uncomfortable it was, had he known it would be his last chance.
Ennis didn’t want Jack to have these regrets. If the elder Twist died before Jack got there, before he had the chance to make amends, it would be a blow, Ennis knew, from which Jack wouldn’t recover. Ennis wasn’t the praying type, but he found himself folding his hands in front of his chest, closing his eyes, and asking God to help Jack get to his dad’s bedside before it was too late.
~*~*~*~*~*
By seven thirty, Ennis could take it no longer. He grabbed his cordless phone and punched in Jack’s cell phone number. He understood completely if Jack wasn’t able to call him right away. He wanted to talk to Jack, but if he needed to leave a message, he’d just tell Jack he was thinking of him, he loved him and would be here whenever Jack could call.
“Babe.” Jack answered on the second ring. He sounded even more exhausted than Ennis felt. “I’m sorry I haven’t called yet.”
“Hey,” Ennis said, “You don’t have to apologize. I was just getting worried about you.” He heard Jack sigh.
“It’s been a long night. I redlined it here; think I made it in record time,” Jack said, forcing a laugh. “Kept wanting to call you on the way, but I wasn’t thinking straight. Figured I better concentrate on the road.”
“I understand, and I’m glad you got there on…” Ennis stopped himself before he said, “on time.” What if Jack hadn’t made it on time? Ennis cleared his throat. “I’m glad you got there.”
“Yeah, me, too. Dad’s resting now.” Ennis released the breath he had been holding and grinned. Jack’s dad was alive.
“Good, Jack. How’s your mom?”
“She’s doing o.k. She’s real glad I came up.”
“Of course; you should be with her now, you know? She needs your support, for sure.”
“Yeah, well, the heart attack was pretty bad. They took him in for angioplasty before I even got here. He had three blocked arteries.”
“Jesus,” said Ennis, furrowing his brow. “But, he’s going to be o.k.?”
“The doctors will know more later today. If he makes it through the next few hours…”
“When, Jack,” said Ennis, trying to sound as convincing as possible, “When he makes it through the next few hours.” Ennis heard the muffled sound of a female voice, and then Jack, his voice also muted, said, “It’s my friend Ennis.” Jack then said into the phone, “You’re right, Ennis. When my dad makes it through the next few hours, the doctors will know more.”
“That’s what I want to hear,” Ennis said.
“Ennis, I can’t thank you enough for being there for me,” said Jack.
“Aw, Jack, you don’t got to thank me. That’s what I’m here for. Always, Jack.” Ennis again heard voices on Jack’s end of the phone.
“Hey, Babe, I need to get off here. Am going to take Mom to the cafeteria, and my phone’s about to die. I promise I’ll call you later, o.k.?”
“Whenever you can, Jack. You take care of your mom. And take care of yourself.”
“I will, Ennis. Love you.”
“Me, too, Darlin’.”
Ennis hung up the phone and laid his pillow flat on the bed. He knew Jack’s dad wasn’t out of the woods yet, but at least he made it through the night. He stretched out on his back and looked at the ceiling, sending up a word of thanks. No sooner had he started to drift off when the phone rang again.
“Jack?” Ennis said into the mouthpiece, his heart in his throat.
“Who?” Shit, Aguirre. What the hell did he want?
“Oh, hey, Joe.”
“Del Mar, I need you to come in early today. There are a few things we need to discuss.” Ennis scowled, immediately thinking about Norm and wondering if he opened his fat mouth.
“Sure, Joe,” he said, trying to keep his voice even. “Is everything o.k.?”
“Come by at Noon,” said Aguirre, ignoring Ennis’s question. “Randall, Jimbo and Frank will be here, too.” Ennis fought the urge to groan. Noon was two hours before he was supposed to start work. Since it was all ready eight o’clock, he would only get maybe two and a half hours of sleep before he’d need to shower and head to work. It was the bar’s night to host the pool league, and even with Randall also tending bar, there was no way he’d have a quiet or early night. He could hear Joe’s heavy breathing on the other end of the phone. “Del Mar, are you there?”
“Sorry, Joe,” said Ennis, trying to convince not only Joe, but also himself, those words were true. “I’ll be there.”
“Fine,” Aguirre said, then the line went dead.
Ennis tossed the phone onto the night stand. He flopped onto his back, stressing over what this meeting was about. If the others were going to be there, it couldn’t be about his relationship with Jack. Aguirre could be an insensitive prick, but calling Ennis out in front of his co-workers was probably not something he’d do. Still, Ennis had a very uneasy feeling about it. He had a sinking suspicion he wasn’t going to like what Aguirre had to say.
Sleep eluded Ennis. He was in bed by three thirty a.m., a rarity, and though he was exhausted, he tossed and turned, stressing about Jack. He sat up, stuffing his pillow between his back and the wall, and remembered what it was like when he, his brother and his sister received the news their parents had died. His brother, K.E., was the oldest and was responsible for watching Ennis and his sister until their folks got home. Hours and hours passed, until finally, a state trooper appeared at their door. Ennis, then only ten years old, watched the scene unfold; K.E.’s eyes overflowing with tears, though he tried to control them and “be the man”; his sister crumpling in a heap on the floor; the trooper holding his hat in his hands, eyes averted, unsure what to say to the three children whose parents were ripped from their lives. And Ennis…he stood there, stony-faced, arms limp at his sides, not believing what the officer had said. His breath began coming in gasps, the pressure inside his stomach intensifying, rising through his esophagus into his throat, until it finally burst loose in an agonized scream. In that instant, he rushed the police officer, his hands balled into fists, wanting to inflict pain on the one who had delivered such horrifying news.
K.E. caught him before he made contact with the trooper. And to his credit, the officer handled it rather well. While K.E. held onto Ennis, and their sister continued to sob on the floor, the trooper asked if there was anyone he could call. Their neighbor, kind Mrs. Hathaway, was lured to the house by the police cruiser, and she was able to help the trooper locate their mother’s address book and call their grandparents. There was no rushing to the hospital to say good-bye. The Del Mars were dead when their bodies were pulled from the car wreckage.
Ennis sat in the dark, allowing tears to trickle down his cheeks. How long had it been since he cried over his parents? How many things had gone unsaid between his parents and him? If he knew that morning, when his mother handed him the brown paper sack containing his meager lunch, it would be the last time he’d see her, he would have told her he loved her. He would have hugged her and even kissed her cheek. The night before, when his dad settled into his favorite chair to read the newspaper and had only grunted when Ennis said, “Good night,” Ennis would have hugged him, regardless of how uncomfortable it was, had he known it would be his last chance.
Ennis didn’t want Jack to have these regrets. If the elder Twist died before Jack got there, before he had the chance to make amends, it would be a blow, Ennis knew, from which Jack wouldn’t recover. Ennis wasn’t the praying type, but he found himself folding his hands in front of his chest, closing his eyes, and asking God to help Jack get to his dad’s bedside before it was too late.
~*~*~*~*~*
By seven thirty, Ennis could take it no longer. He grabbed his cordless phone and punched in Jack’s cell phone number. He understood completely if Jack wasn’t able to call him right away. He wanted to talk to Jack, but if he needed to leave a message, he’d just tell Jack he was thinking of him, he loved him and would be here whenever Jack could call.
“Babe.” Jack answered on the second ring. He sounded even more exhausted than Ennis felt. “I’m sorry I haven’t called yet.”
“Hey,” Ennis said, “You don’t have to apologize. I was just getting worried about you.” He heard Jack sigh.
“It’s been a long night. I redlined it here; think I made it in record time,” Jack said, forcing a laugh. “Kept wanting to call you on the way, but I wasn’t thinking straight. Figured I better concentrate on the road.”
“I understand, and I’m glad you got there on…” Ennis stopped himself before he said, “on time.” What if Jack hadn’t made it on time? Ennis cleared his throat. “I’m glad you got there.”
“Yeah, me, too. Dad’s resting now.” Ennis released the breath he had been holding and grinned. Jack’s dad was alive.
“Good, Jack. How’s your mom?”
“She’s doing o.k. She’s real glad I came up.”
“Of course; you should be with her now, you know? She needs your support, for sure.”
“Yeah, well, the heart attack was pretty bad. They took him in for angioplasty before I even got here. He had three blocked arteries.”
“Jesus,” said Ennis, furrowing his brow. “But, he’s going to be o.k.?”
“The doctors will know more later today. If he makes it through the next few hours…”
“When, Jack,” said Ennis, trying to sound as convincing as possible, “When he makes it through the next few hours.” Ennis heard the muffled sound of a female voice, and then Jack, his voice also muted, said, “It’s my friend Ennis.” Jack then said into the phone, “You’re right, Ennis. When my dad makes it through the next few hours, the doctors will know more.”
“That’s what I want to hear,” Ennis said.
“Ennis, I can’t thank you enough for being there for me,” said Jack.
“Aw, Jack, you don’t got to thank me. That’s what I’m here for. Always, Jack.” Ennis again heard voices on Jack’s end of the phone.
“Hey, Babe, I need to get off here. Am going to take Mom to the cafeteria, and my phone’s about to die. I promise I’ll call you later, o.k.?”
“Whenever you can, Jack. You take care of your mom. And take care of yourself.”
“I will, Ennis. Love you.”
“Me, too, Darlin’.”
Ennis hung up the phone and laid his pillow flat on the bed. He knew Jack’s dad wasn’t out of the woods yet, but at least he made it through the night. He stretched out on his back and looked at the ceiling, sending up a word of thanks. No sooner had he started to drift off when the phone rang again.
“Jack?” Ennis said into the mouthpiece, his heart in his throat.
“Who?” Shit, Aguirre. What the hell did he want?
“Oh, hey, Joe.”
“Del Mar, I need you to come in early today. There are a few things we need to discuss.” Ennis scowled, immediately thinking about Norm and wondering if he opened his fat mouth.
“Sure, Joe,” he said, trying to keep his voice even. “Is everything o.k.?”
“Come by at Noon,” said Aguirre, ignoring Ennis’s question. “Randall, Jimbo and Frank will be here, too.” Ennis fought the urge to groan. Noon was two hours before he was supposed to start work. Since it was all ready eight o’clock, he would only get maybe two and a half hours of sleep before he’d need to shower and head to work. It was the bar’s night to host the pool league, and even with Randall also tending bar, there was no way he’d have a quiet or early night. He could hear Joe’s heavy breathing on the other end of the phone. “Del Mar, are you there?”
“Sorry, Joe,” said Ennis, trying to convince not only Joe, but also himself, those words were true. “I’ll be there.”
“Fine,” Aguirre said, then the line went dead.
Ennis tossed the phone onto the night stand. He flopped onto his back, stressing over what this meeting was about. If the others were going to be there, it couldn’t be about his relationship with Jack. Aguirre could be an insensitive prick, but calling Ennis out in front of his co-workers was probably not something he’d do. Still, Ennis had a very uneasy feeling about it. He had a sinking suspicion he wasn’t going to like what Aguirre had to say.