White Picket Fences and Apple Trees, Winter: Chapter Two
I'm finally updating! Woo! And since planetgal471 requested long and neat, and this chapter is not long and not really all that neat, and plus it's been so much longer than I promised, I've got an interlude coming. It would've been a longer chapter, but I wanted to leave Thanksgiving to its own chapter.
About a week before Thanksgiving, Ennis got a call from Amy. He tried not to grimace as she identified herself.
“I was just thinking. Do you think Junior would want to have Thanksgiving here with us?”
Ennis bristled a little. She didn’t even ask if he’d be all right with it. It was like he didn’t have any input on the matter.
“Well, I dunno…was kinda hoping to have her here, first Thanksgiving with my daughter and all…”
“Ennis. Please. We should do what makes her happy. And I don’t think she’ll be happy there.”
Ennis clenched his jaw. We? He could tell her hell no and there’d be no we anymore. But he took a steadying breath. She was right, much as he hated to admit it. Junior deserved to be happy, and it probably wasn’t going to come about through Ennis’s involvement.
“Well. I’ll talk to her.” He said. He made some sort of farewell and hung up. He chewed his lip for a while, wondering what to do. Should he let her go? He’d never had Thanksgiving with his daughter. He wanted her to see what Thanksgiving was like here, with Jack insisting on making the turkey and burning it, with the lumpy garlic mashed potatoes Ennis made, with the stupid things Bobby came up with to be thankful for.
But maybe she didn’t want that. Maybe she wanted her nice, normal Thanksgiving. He doubted Amy ever burned the turkey and she probably made really good candied yams or some shit like that. Well. He’d ask her.
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“Oh.” Junior said quietly when Ennis told her about Amy’s phone call.
“So. The decision’s up to you.” He said, looking down at his plate. Jack squeezed his shoulder.
“Well, um…” She bit her lip and shifted a little. Bobby raised his eyebrows at her. She didn’t want to go to Amy’s. But she didn’t want to admit it. Why couldn’t Ennis just get all overprotective and say she couldn’t go? She wondered what to do, and then a thought occurred to her: would it be so bad to admit that she wanted to stay? It would make Ennis and Jack’s day, really, to just say it.
“I’d rather stay here.” She heard herself say, staring at her plate. Meat and potatoes. That was what they had almost every night.
“You would?” Ennis sounded so surprised, so cautious, that she almost cried. She was a horrible person. She peeked up. Ennis’s mouth was open just a little and Jack was grinning from ear to ear.
“Yeah.”
“Well…okay.” He shrugged, wanting to let her know how happy he was but not knowing how.
“Okay.”
Jack snorted. “We’re real happy you want to stay, Junior.” He smiled one of those huge, sky-splitting smiles at her and she couldn’t help but smile back.
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“Ennis, would it kill you to let her know you’re happy she’s staying?” Jack handed him a plate to dry. Ennis pursed his lips.
“You know I ain’t good at that stuff.”
“You’re better than you were. And anyway, only way to get better is to keep doing it.” Jack was being too serious. Ennis was in a good mood. He reached over and scooped up a handful of suds. And then he put them on Jack’s face, right under his nose.
“What the hell?” Jack asked indignantly.
“Helping you out with your moustache, bud.”
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“How was your day, baby?” Roy asked, giving Mary Ellen a kiss on the forehead. She sighed.
“I got Gretl to the babysitter.”
“You did?” His face lit up.
“Well…I got her ready to go and then Kurt took her on his way to school.”
“Oh.” He kept the smile anyway. “That’s still good.”
“I was thinking, Roy. Maybe we should have Kurt’s friend and his family over for Thanksgiving.”
“Uhhh…” Blank stare.
“You don’t think it’s a good idea?”
“Well…honey, are you up for it?” He said it tentatively, not wanting to somehow reverse the progress Mary Ellen had seemed to be making over the last week. She bit her lip.
“I think so. And if it gets too much while they’re here, I’ll just go to bed.” She didn’t notice the way his face pinched when she said it so flippantly. Before he could stop himself, he thought, Normal people don’t just go back to bed when something’s wrong. He tried to shake the thought.
“I guess Kurt can ask Bobby and Bobby’ll ask his…people.” What was he supposed to call them? Bobby’s fathers? Bobby’s parents? He wasn’t used to this.
“I’m really trying.” Mary Ellen whispered. Roy took a deep breath, steadying himself as a swell of emotion hit him. He held her close and stroked her hair.
“I know.”
“DADDY!” Gretl wailed from outside the room somewhere. He chuckled a little and pulled away.
“Be right back.” He promised, though both knew he wouldn’t, since as soon as he finished with Gretl one of the other kids would need something, and he’d have to stop the younger boys fighting, and he’d need to make sure everyone had done their homework, and…well, the list went on.
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“Ennis?” Jack murmured sleepily.
“Hmm?” Ennis was mostly asleep, Jack could tell.
“How ‘bout you move your knee?” Jack suggested drowsily. They were all wrapped up in each other in their bed, and Jack loved every bit of Ennis, but that didn’t change the fact that Ennis’s knee was pushing painfully into his calf and he was starting to lose feeling in his toes.
“Mm.” Ennis moved it, but the least possible amount. Jack nestled his face a little closer and fell asleep.
He woke while it was still dark outside. He slipped away from Ennis and eased out of bed. He quietly locked the door behind him and held his breath, praying that starting up his truck wouldn’t wake anyone. Once he got on the road, he relaxed and beat the familiar path to the grocery store.
Jack figured if he went to the store right when it opened, it would be pretty empty. He was right. And this way, Ennis wouldn’t worry and be paranoid and start trouble. Jack was better at talking his way out of problems than Ennis.
He made it back to bed before Ennis woke up. He dozed lightly for about another hour, and then woke to Ennis, face creased with confusion, asking why his feet were so fucking cold.
“Uh…got up to piss a little while ago.” Jack lied. Ennis just grunted as he heaved out of bed. He rubbed his eyes, looking like a sleepy little kid. Well, a sleepy little kid with graying hair. And morning wood. Jack could help with that one.
Another thing Jack was right about: the moustache tickled.
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“Bobby, my mom wants to know if you guys want to eat Thanksgiving with us.” Kurt had been shocked, to say the least, when his dad told him to ask Bobby’s family over.
“She does?” Bobby asked, just the way Kurt had. Kurt flashed a grin.
“Yeah. It’s pretty great. But I’m kinda worried…I mean, it might be too much. It’s the first Thanksgiving without…” He trailed off and shrugged a little.
“Oh.” They were quiet for a minute. “Well, I’m sure my daddy and Ennis’ll be glad they don’t have to cook. And your mom knows us pretty good by now, right? Maybe it’ll be okay.”
“What’ll be okay?” Junior asked. The bell had just rung, letting school out. “Were you skipping class?”
“No, we just got out a little early.” Bobby lied. They’d skipped, Bobby missing English and Kurt P.E. “Kurt’s mama wants us to eat dinner with them.”
“Oh, that’s so good!” Junior squealed. Kurt nodded and smiled. He was more worried than he was letting on. Who knew how his mother would act? For that matter, who knew how he would act? Mary Ellen wasn’t the only one who missed Roger. And she’d had all those years before he was born. Kurt had never, in his entire life, had a Thanksgiving dinner without his big brother. He felt like he was deflating a little every day. And he was absolutely dreading Christmas. Christmas had always been Roger’s favorite holiday.
“Kurt?” Bobby was looking at him expectantly.
“Um. What?” He snapped back to reality.
Bobby raised an eyebrow. “Don’t you need to go get the other kids?”
“Oh, shit.” Kurt glanced at his watch. He was late. He jogged off, calling a quick “See ya later!” over his shoulder.
“When did his brother die?” Junior asked.
“Um…I don’t know exactly. Beginning of the summer, I think.”
“Mmm.”
On the way home, Junior realized she and Kurt were in the same boat. Well, kind of. Losing a sibling was probably way different than losing her mother. She didn’t have any siblings. How close could you really be to one of them? But her mother…now that was a loss.
She didn’t think about how she’d feel if Bobby were to die. The comparison didn’t even cross her mind.
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“You’re dressing up?” Ennis asked.
“Well, I’m gonna at least change out of my jeans. They got horseshit on ‘em, Ennis. Most people don’t ‘preciate you tracking shit into their houses.”
“Hmm. You, uh, gonna wear that red shirt?” Ennis tried to sound nonchalant, but he really wanted Jack to wear it. He looked really good in it. Made his eyes even bluer. Jack grinned.
“You want me to?”
“Uh, well, I mean…” Ennis blushed. He nodded, a tiny nod that Jack would’ve missed had he not been looking for it.
“Tell you what, I’ll wear the red if you wear that yellow.” Jack grinned rather cheekily. He’d bought Ennis a yellow sweater years ago. The man just wouldn’t wear it, no matter how many times Jack told him he looked good in it. Well, he’d worn it once. But…well, they hadn’t left the house. Or even the bedroom. So it didn’t count.
“It’s yellow, Jack. I feel like a queer.” He raised an eyebrow. “Oh.” Jack had to laugh at the look on his face.
“Ennis, wearing yellow don’t make people think you’re queer. First of all, people already know. Least, any of the people we’re gonna be with. And anyway, it don’t look at all pansy-ish on you.” That was the real problem. Ennis was just afraid wearing yellow would make him a sissy.
“Yellow’s a woman color.”
“No it ain’t. And you wear it better‘an any woman.” Jack raised his eyebrows for emphasis. Ennis flushed again.
“Fine.” He grabbed it off the hanger and stomped to the bathroom. “But you owe me for this.”
About a week before Thanksgiving, Ennis got a call from Amy. He tried not to grimace as she identified herself.
“I was just thinking. Do you think Junior would want to have Thanksgiving here with us?”
Ennis bristled a little. She didn’t even ask if he’d be all right with it. It was like he didn’t have any input on the matter.
“Well, I dunno…was kinda hoping to have her here, first Thanksgiving with my daughter and all…”
“Ennis. Please. We should do what makes her happy. And I don’t think she’ll be happy there.”
Ennis clenched his jaw. We? He could tell her hell no and there’d be no we anymore. But he took a steadying breath. She was right, much as he hated to admit it. Junior deserved to be happy, and it probably wasn’t going to come about through Ennis’s involvement.
“Well. I’ll talk to her.” He said. He made some sort of farewell and hung up. He chewed his lip for a while, wondering what to do. Should he let her go? He’d never had Thanksgiving with his daughter. He wanted her to see what Thanksgiving was like here, with Jack insisting on making the turkey and burning it, with the lumpy garlic mashed potatoes Ennis made, with the stupid things Bobby came up with to be thankful for.
But maybe she didn’t want that. Maybe she wanted her nice, normal Thanksgiving. He doubted Amy ever burned the turkey and she probably made really good candied yams or some shit like that. Well. He’d ask her.
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“Oh.” Junior said quietly when Ennis told her about Amy’s phone call.
“So. The decision’s up to you.” He said, looking down at his plate. Jack squeezed his shoulder.
“Well, um…” She bit her lip and shifted a little. Bobby raised his eyebrows at her. She didn’t want to go to Amy’s. But she didn’t want to admit it. Why couldn’t Ennis just get all overprotective and say she couldn’t go? She wondered what to do, and then a thought occurred to her: would it be so bad to admit that she wanted to stay? It would make Ennis and Jack’s day, really, to just say it.
“I’d rather stay here.” She heard herself say, staring at her plate. Meat and potatoes. That was what they had almost every night.
“You would?” Ennis sounded so surprised, so cautious, that she almost cried. She was a horrible person. She peeked up. Ennis’s mouth was open just a little and Jack was grinning from ear to ear.
“Yeah.”
“Well…okay.” He shrugged, wanting to let her know how happy he was but not knowing how.
“Okay.”
Jack snorted. “We’re real happy you want to stay, Junior.” He smiled one of those huge, sky-splitting smiles at her and she couldn’t help but smile back.
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“Ennis, would it kill you to let her know you’re happy she’s staying?” Jack handed him a plate to dry. Ennis pursed his lips.
“You know I ain’t good at that stuff.”
“You’re better than you were. And anyway, only way to get better is to keep doing it.” Jack was being too serious. Ennis was in a good mood. He reached over and scooped up a handful of suds. And then he put them on Jack’s face, right under his nose.
“What the hell?” Jack asked indignantly.
“Helping you out with your moustache, bud.”
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“How was your day, baby?” Roy asked, giving Mary Ellen a kiss on the forehead. She sighed.
“I got Gretl to the babysitter.”
“You did?” His face lit up.
“Well…I got her ready to go and then Kurt took her on his way to school.”
“Oh.” He kept the smile anyway. “That’s still good.”
“I was thinking, Roy. Maybe we should have Kurt’s friend and his family over for Thanksgiving.”
“Uhhh…” Blank stare.
“You don’t think it’s a good idea?”
“Well…honey, are you up for it?” He said it tentatively, not wanting to somehow reverse the progress Mary Ellen had seemed to be making over the last week. She bit her lip.
“I think so. And if it gets too much while they’re here, I’ll just go to bed.” She didn’t notice the way his face pinched when she said it so flippantly. Before he could stop himself, he thought, Normal people don’t just go back to bed when something’s wrong. He tried to shake the thought.
“I guess Kurt can ask Bobby and Bobby’ll ask his…people.” What was he supposed to call them? Bobby’s fathers? Bobby’s parents? He wasn’t used to this.
“I’m really trying.” Mary Ellen whispered. Roy took a deep breath, steadying himself as a swell of emotion hit him. He held her close and stroked her hair.
“I know.”
“DADDY!” Gretl wailed from outside the room somewhere. He chuckled a little and pulled away.
“Be right back.” He promised, though both knew he wouldn’t, since as soon as he finished with Gretl one of the other kids would need something, and he’d have to stop the younger boys fighting, and he’d need to make sure everyone had done their homework, and…well, the list went on.
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“Ennis?” Jack murmured sleepily.
“Hmm?” Ennis was mostly asleep, Jack could tell.
“How ‘bout you move your knee?” Jack suggested drowsily. They were all wrapped up in each other in their bed, and Jack loved every bit of Ennis, but that didn’t change the fact that Ennis’s knee was pushing painfully into his calf and he was starting to lose feeling in his toes.
“Mm.” Ennis moved it, but the least possible amount. Jack nestled his face a little closer and fell asleep.
He woke while it was still dark outside. He slipped away from Ennis and eased out of bed. He quietly locked the door behind him and held his breath, praying that starting up his truck wouldn’t wake anyone. Once he got on the road, he relaxed and beat the familiar path to the grocery store.
Jack figured if he went to the store right when it opened, it would be pretty empty. He was right. And this way, Ennis wouldn’t worry and be paranoid and start trouble. Jack was better at talking his way out of problems than Ennis.
He made it back to bed before Ennis woke up. He dozed lightly for about another hour, and then woke to Ennis, face creased with confusion, asking why his feet were so fucking cold.
“Uh…got up to piss a little while ago.” Jack lied. Ennis just grunted as he heaved out of bed. He rubbed his eyes, looking like a sleepy little kid. Well, a sleepy little kid with graying hair. And morning wood. Jack could help with that one.
Another thing Jack was right about: the moustache tickled.
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“Bobby, my mom wants to know if you guys want to eat Thanksgiving with us.” Kurt had been shocked, to say the least, when his dad told him to ask Bobby’s family over.
“She does?” Bobby asked, just the way Kurt had. Kurt flashed a grin.
“Yeah. It’s pretty great. But I’m kinda worried…I mean, it might be too much. It’s the first Thanksgiving without…” He trailed off and shrugged a little.
“Oh.” They were quiet for a minute. “Well, I’m sure my daddy and Ennis’ll be glad they don’t have to cook. And your mom knows us pretty good by now, right? Maybe it’ll be okay.”
“What’ll be okay?” Junior asked. The bell had just rung, letting school out. “Were you skipping class?”
“No, we just got out a little early.” Bobby lied. They’d skipped, Bobby missing English and Kurt P.E. “Kurt’s mama wants us to eat dinner with them.”
“Oh, that’s so good!” Junior squealed. Kurt nodded and smiled. He was more worried than he was letting on. Who knew how his mother would act? For that matter, who knew how he would act? Mary Ellen wasn’t the only one who missed Roger. And she’d had all those years before he was born. Kurt had never, in his entire life, had a Thanksgiving dinner without his big brother. He felt like he was deflating a little every day. And he was absolutely dreading Christmas. Christmas had always been Roger’s favorite holiday.
“Kurt?” Bobby was looking at him expectantly.
“Um. What?” He snapped back to reality.
Bobby raised an eyebrow. “Don’t you need to go get the other kids?”
“Oh, shit.” Kurt glanced at his watch. He was late. He jogged off, calling a quick “See ya later!” over his shoulder.
“When did his brother die?” Junior asked.
“Um…I don’t know exactly. Beginning of the summer, I think.”
“Mmm.”
On the way home, Junior realized she and Kurt were in the same boat. Well, kind of. Losing a sibling was probably way different than losing her mother. She didn’t have any siblings. How close could you really be to one of them? But her mother…now that was a loss.
She didn’t think about how she’d feel if Bobby were to die. The comparison didn’t even cross her mind.
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“You’re dressing up?” Ennis asked.
“Well, I’m gonna at least change out of my jeans. They got horseshit on ‘em, Ennis. Most people don’t ‘preciate you tracking shit into their houses.”
“Hmm. You, uh, gonna wear that red shirt?” Ennis tried to sound nonchalant, but he really wanted Jack to wear it. He looked really good in it. Made his eyes even bluer. Jack grinned.
“You want me to?”
“Uh, well, I mean…” Ennis blushed. He nodded, a tiny nod that Jack would’ve missed had he not been looking for it.
“Tell you what, I’ll wear the red if you wear that yellow.” Jack grinned rather cheekily. He’d bought Ennis a yellow sweater years ago. The man just wouldn’t wear it, no matter how many times Jack told him he looked good in it. Well, he’d worn it once. But…well, they hadn’t left the house. Or even the bedroom. So it didn’t count.
“It’s yellow, Jack. I feel like a queer.” He raised an eyebrow. “Oh.” Jack had to laugh at the look on his face.
“Ennis, wearing yellow don’t make people think you’re queer. First of all, people already know. Least, any of the people we’re gonna be with. And anyway, it don’t look at all pansy-ish on you.” That was the real problem. Ennis was just afraid wearing yellow would make him a sissy.
“Yellow’s a woman color.”
“No it ain’t. And you wear it better‘an any woman.” Jack raised his eyebrows for emphasis. Ennis flushed again.
“Fine.” He grabbed it off the hanger and stomped to the bathroom. “But you owe me for this.”