Part 1, Chapter 6
The next few months were among the most confusing and conflicted of Ennis’ life.
He knew what would have happened if David hadn’t turned away when he had, recognized the gathering storm in him and the point when lightning was going to strike, no two ways about it. They’d have been on the ground together next to that stream, doing another kind of ( Read more... )
There are four parts planned, with Parts 2 and 4 shorter than Parts 1 and 3 are planned to be, so this story will go on considerably though it won't be a fanfic epic. A lot of the metaphysical content is loaded into Part 2, though Jack stays in the story to some extent throughout.
As far as Ennis getting mentally unbalanced goes, Chapters 1 and 3 mentioned that he's sometimes afraid he is. But that's basically a consequence of his being so isolated and not having much perspective; what he's going through is grief and regret that's agonizing but quite sane. Even the obsessive "searching behavior", as I've heard it called, where he gets fixated on men who resemble Jack in some way, sometimes does happen to people after a traumatic loss. It can get dangerous if someone thinks the person is stalking them but it isn't pathological unless it goes on for too long. My take on the timeline is that the wedding is only about 10 months after Ennis learns of Jack's death.
The Velcro idea came both from reading fanfics where buttons are constantly flying ('why don't they just have Velcro on their shirts???') and partly from learning, years ago, that conventional romance novels used to be called "bodice-rippers" in the publishing industry.
And Ennis being turned on by David's sweatshirt - well, it's funny the things that can really push peoples' buttons when they're around someone they're attracted to. There's a country music song that I occasionally hear on the radio that always makes me smile, called "She Thinks My Tractor's Sexy."
It's also a half-parallel to the movie, which has influenced this story considerably more than the book. In forum discussions of the first tent scene, I was surprised to find out that other people besides me thought Jack taking his coat off was one of the sexiest moments in the whole film.
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