The Lie Behind the Postcard - The Riverton Memorial Hospital
After their two hours drive Ennis and Junior arrived the Riverton Memorial Hospital, there they were welcomed by Monroe, Alma’s husband, who gave Ennis a repulsive look.
“What’ya doing here Del Mar?” he asked.
“Well I jus’ heard what happened to Alma and came here to see her!” Ennis answered.
“Ya’ are not welcome here!” Monroe replied
“Excuse me! But before you she was married with him and had us with her. So you don’t have no right to say anything” a dirty blonde hair, green eyes pale skin lady that was in her earliest twenty.
“Jennifer” said Monroe’s son Monroe Junior looking at her surprised for her answer
“I mean yer mom wouldn’t like to have him here!” he said angry.
“Ya’re wrong! He came here by my mother request and he’ll stay as long We like it!” Jenny said with a strong Emphasis on the word we.
“I think that ya’ are makin’ a big mistake” Monroe mumbled trying to not be heard.
“We are not makin’ any mistake” Junior said to Monroe, he had forgotten that she have an excellent ear.
“So Ennis how is the cowboy life” Said Monroe trying to mock of Ennis.
“Well, as always is a hard job, just for men. I mean it is not like those soft jobs that you work on an office or grocery store! This is man job!” Ennis answered smiling and looking straightly to Monroe.
Monroe didn’t like that comment he always thought that Ennis was less than scum. He didn’t finished his high school and didn’t speak well either. He never understood why Alma married him.
“Daddy, I heard that the ranch that you were working was sold again, did ya’ know what happened?” Jenny asked his father smiling to him.
“Well Jenny to tell you the truth the things were not that bad! But the son of Mr. Humphrey lost lot of money at in college!” he said sighting and looking to the sky
“Really? I never knew that Luis was losing his father money” Monroe Junior said.
“Well he was! I was always listenin’ his dad complainin’ that he was spendin’ money in things like clothes, parties and other stuff. He broke his father pocket!” Ennis said to Monroe who closed his mouth.
“And well Mr. Humphrey was not able to continue like that! So he sold the ranch and move out to Texas! He said that he was going to refer me to a friend of his so I can find a new job” he added.
“Daddy, mom is really delicate the doctors here said that he have being under emotional stress and she didn’t need any other rage” Jenny said to his father but then looked at Alma Junior when she mentioned the word rage.
“If Alma is in that situation is because she did it to herself” said Alma Junior.
“Alma Del Mar Beers Jr.! Don’t ever refer to yer mom like Alma show her respect! She deserves it! No matter how ya’ feel about her that never is goin’ to change!” an angry Ennis said
“Daddy but ya’ know!” said Alma Junior.
“I just talked” He added looking at Junior.
“Excuse me but this is a hospital I think that you should lower your voices and behave or I’ll be forced to ask you to leave!” said a dark hair Nurse to them.
“Ennis is that ya’?” said the nurse when she recognized Ennis
“Cassie? Cassie Cartwright! Long time I haven’t seeing ya’, so ya’ did it! Ya’re a nurse!” smiled Ennis to her
“I am a nurse that’s right! It took me long to do it but at the end I did it. Ya’ know I always wondered how ya’ were but you look so… so … ya’ haven’t change in ages” she giggled to him while Jenny and Alma Junior were looking how Cassie was flirted with him.
“Well, thanks year had made you more wild and beautiful” he said to her trying to be nice with her since in their last encounter he was cold with her.
“Ya’ know I never knew how I let you go. Ya’ should now that I never got married I always have a hope that I can have you” she said to him.
“Well…. I don’t know what to say” Replied Ennis
“Cassie, come here know we need to send this reports” another nurse said to Cassie who looked back “Well Ennis see you around” she said.
“Who was that woman?” asked Jenny angry.
“It was a woman that Dad used to date like 10 years ago” Alma Junior answered laughing.
“I don’t like her, she was flirting with dad!” she said ashamed.
“Ya’ don’t have to worry about that” mumbled Ennis.
“Monroe, Jenny, Alma can you please come here?” said a voice it was Dr. Hafeitz that was coming out from Alma’s room. They all went after him including Ennis and Monroe Jr. he looked them and looked to the sky.
“ Alma, is stable now, we manage to make her heart react to the treatment well but she still under a delicate situation” the Doctor said.
“Now I want to know something! Who is Ennis Del Mar?” Dr. Hafeitz asked.
“I am Ennis Del Mar” Ennis answered.
“Well, Alma wants ya’ to go to her room she said that she needs to talk to you. She asked me to tell the others to please leave since she need to rest” Dr. Hafeitz continued.
“What? She is telling us to leave? No way! I won’t leave her here with this Neanderthal!” yelled Monroe
“ Monroe, lower your voice! She told me that and I need to follow her request so please go home and take a shower you need o rest” Dr. Hafeitz said.
“I won’t do that” Monroe said.
“You are going to do it because I said it! She don’t want you here she want Ennis and her Daughters! You and your son can go home” the Doctor said angry.
“Now you include Alma Junior and Jenny! I think that you said only Ennis!” yelled Monroe.
“I did, but she wanted them here also” the doctor replied.
“I’m going to fix this right now” Said Monroe who entered to Alma’s room and he stayed there for 10 minutes talking with her and then he came out angry and took Monroe Junior by the arm and left the hospital angry.
“Well I think that you should enter and talk to her” said the Dr. Hafeitz, Ennis and the girls. entered to the room and they found there Alma looking at them she clear her throat.
Junior and Jenny entered in the room and they saw that their mother looked old now, old and worried. They stood next to the window; Jenny gave her mother a hug.
“Mom, are ya’ ok?” Jenny asked
“I’m fine dear I just need to talk with all of ya’ now” she said.
“Junior, I’m sorry for all the things I said to ya’ that day I just want to say that all of what I did was to protect yer Daddy!” Alma Said to Alma Junior.
“What’ya talking about mom?” asked Jenny
“ Alma, what do ya’ mean with protectin' me!” Ennis said in with an angry tone.
“What I did is not the question! What you did to us is the real thing!” she said looking fiercely to Ennis
“ Alma you don’t know nothin’! Don’t say things ya’ don’t understand” Ennis said he raised his voice but then he lowered down remembering Alma’s state of illness.
“Oh yes I know, Ennis Del Mar and it is time to yer daughters to know the truth I’ve hidden this truth for almost twenty-seven years now! I’m tired of this sht! Your daughters need to now the reason I divorced from ya’! Jenny the reason I divorce yer dad was because he had a male lov….” she said, until Ennis’ rage exploded, he went straight to her but Junior stopped him.
“Daddy please! Calm down she’s tryin’ to cause this to you” Alma Junior Said while she gave a hate look to her mother she realized that her mother was a snake.
“What’ya talking about? Daddy had a male what?” Jenny asked to her mother crying and looking at her dad with repulsion
“A male lover, Jenny durin’ all my years of marriage yer dad cheat on me, with his fishin’ buddy. He never went to fishin’ he screwed his fishin’ buddy!” Alma burying her face on her hands faking she was crying but she wasn’t crying at all or at least not for real. She was laughing in her insides it was working as she thought it was going to be.
“What! Nooooo ya’ are lyin’ can’t be true! Daddy say that it is not true tell her that is a lie! ” Jenny said to Ennis crying.
Ennis started breathing faster and tried to talk, however, his anger was not letting him to do it.
“Jenny, it is not like that, is not!” he told to watching how her tears fell through her face.
“Ya’re a sick man! I can’t believe ya’ are my dad” Jenny said crying and horrified.
“Jenny shut up! You don’t have any right to say that do Daddy” yelled Alma Junior looking to her mother and holding her father.
“Deny it Ennis! Deny the fact that I saw ya’ both kissing on 1967, deny that ya’ never went to fishin’! Deny that ya’ almost kill me on that thanksgiving dinner at my house! Deny it Ennis!” yelled Alma
Ennis didn’t knew what to do he wanted to kill Alma, for revealing in that way his life to Jenny, however, he was shamed by the way looked at him. She was horrified and repulsed, she hated him. Alma was put his daughter against him, one of his most important things in his life more now that Jack was not with him.
“Jenny could you please listen to me?” said Ennis
“Ya’re a monster! I don’t want ya’ to be my dad!” she yelled at him.
“Ya’ hert me Ennis! Ya’ hert me so much! I loved ya’ but ya didn’t care ya’ went with that Jack Twist and screw with him while I was taking care of yer girls” Alma yelled.
“Shut up Alma!” Ennis yelled at her, and the moment that he yelled at her was when Alma Junior stop holding her father and let her go to Alma’s bed.
Alma thought that she knew what was going to happen, she knew that Ennis was going to kill her for telling her daughter the truth. He took her by her clothes and shaked her like six times while she was crying and Junior was holding Jenny to stop it.
“Let me go! Let me help mom that monster! Is going kill her!” yelled Jenny.
“Ya’ won’t do anything! It is time for that bitch to face the truth ya’ don’t know anything she is the real monster, Jenny!” Junior said to her holding her from the back
“Now Alma, is this the reason why ya’ called me? To put my girls against me! To put my family against me?” said Ennis enraged looking at Alma letting her to see his rage.
“No, the reason I called you here is to tell ya’ that I’m not going to hide this anymore ya’re just a sick man and I need your daughter to know that! You don’t deserve to have kids!” she yelled at him
“Ya’ know something Alma Beers! I’m going to tell ya’ this only this time, yes I did have something with Jack Twist! Yes I was with him all those years! Ya’ know what I’m tired of this shit I did loved him! He was the only person I loved in all those fuckin’ years of my life!” Ennis cried as he lost his forces and fell into the floor on his knees with his hands on his face.
“I said it! I loved him, I loved Jack Twist! Ya’ don’t know how it feels to be without him! I can’t feel his skin next o mine or his heartbeat! Ya’ don’t know it Alma! I tried to love ya’ but I was not able I tried to make my life with ya’ but I was never able to get him out of my mind!” he said crying, it was the first time in his life that he admitted he loved Jack and was more painful for him because he wasn’t unable to tell him in live. The only thing he had from Jack was his shirt, his last memory of him which he had at his house. Jack always wanted to live with Ennis but he always refused to do it. And then when Jack did he found the shirts, those shirts they used the last time at Brokeback Mountain he understood that day how much Jack loved him, but they never had the courage to call “This Thing” Love.
When Jenny watched that scene and listened what her father said she started crying and ra out of the room and Junior went after her.
“Now ya’ feel how I felt all those years! Desperate, I thought that I lost it all because you were my world Ennis!” Alma said to him looking at him, but Ennis wasn’t looking at him.
“Ya’ don’t know Alma! How hard it was to me! Ya’ don’t know ….” He was trying to talk but the pain was not letting him he was destroyed in life.
Alma was looking at him, she was looking Ennis emotionally destroyed on the floor. And she thought that she was happy but it wasn’t she felt miserable because he told her “Ya’ know something Alma Beers! I’m going to tell ya’ this only this time, yes I did have something with Jack Twist! Yes I was with him all those years! Ya’ know what I’m tired of this shit I did loved him! He was the only person I loved in all those fuckin’ years of my life! I loved him, I loved Jack Twist! Ya’ don’t know how it feels to be without him! I can’t feel his skin next o mine or his heartbeat! Ya’ don’t know it Alma! I tried to love ya’ but I was not able I tried to make my life with ya’ but I was never able to get him out of my mind!” she felt sick and also started crying and she remembered how much she loved Ennis.
“I don’t know what kind of person ya’re Alma Beers” Ennis said, she could feel the pain in his voice. “What’ya have done today to me can’t be named!” He stand up from the floor and even though that he was more than willing to call his hand to hit her and kill her he didn’t did it. He did the fake that he was going to hit her she started crying
“Do it Ennis! Kill me do it, even if ya’ do it Jack Twist would never come back!” she yelled at him but Ennis pulled his hand back and walked out of the room.
“You are worthless; I’m not going to kill ya’! Ya’ don’t deserve that; I just want you to be happy of what ya’ have done! Because all the things we do we pay it here in Earth!” Ennis said putting his hat and cleaning his tears and walked out the room.
When he came out of the room he saw Jenny was talking to Junior, Junior was so different from her mother and she was holding her sister who was crying.
“My dad is a queer!” she cried but right after that Alma Junior slapped her on the face.
“ Ennis Del Mar is not a queer, he is your father and he love ya’ and you know that” Junior said to her.
“Jenny! Please listen to me ya’re my daughter and I love ya’” Ennis said with his eyes filled with tears.
Jenny looked at his father, he was looking to the floor, however, she was not able to look to him she felt that he was a sick man so she looked to another place
“Don’t call me yer daughter ya’re not my father! And if you really love me disappear from my life” she said to him.
Ennis was destroyed he was crying in front of all the Doctors and nurses who listened all the fight and he just start running out of the hospital.
“Daddy!” Yelled Alma Junior and immediately looked back to Jenny “If something happens to him, I’ll kill ya’ and that bitch ya’ have for mother!” she told her and went after her father.