Real and vivid and rivetingcynical21June 30 2007, 21:30:34 UTC
Congrats, Vicki, on capturing the complexity of prejudice, and how it forms and how it can affect even people who are not naturally prone to bigotry.
Beautifully done - and your Ennis is so lost in the fears that rise within him - and yet so quick to allow Jack to pull him into acceptance. Really lovely.
Re: Real and vivid and rivetingvln_bbmfanJune 30 2007, 21:41:26 UTC
Thanks, Cyn, and it's so good to hear from you. I've been thinking about you a lot these last few days, and hope you and your family are doing well.
Ennis has been on an emotional roller coaster for months - feeling hope, then losing it, then hoping again. All the turmoil is about to become too much, and he by the end of the next chapter, he will have made a very hard decision.
WOW...you always write the most riveting, emotional passages...I cannot begin to tell you how much I enjoy reading your Ennis and Jack..well...really all the characters.....I think I might have mentioned before..how much I like Thelma and Elmer...I wish they were my neighbors!! I am just dying for Ennis in this chapter..BUT Thelma and Elmer do their best to rescue him..and I think they succeed a little bit. Bravo...well-done..
Thanks so much. This was a hard chapter for me to write, because prejudice is never right, but sometimes we fall victim to it without even realizing that is what we are doing. This was difficult for Thelma and Elmer, too. They love their son and that will never change, but they can't bring themselves to turn their backs on Ennis because Bert and Gwen are too caught up in their own pain to see the pain that they are causing those who have never done them any wrong. They might have succeeded momentarily, but by the end of the next chapter, Ennis will have had enough of hurting those he cares about.
Vicky - it's wonderful the way you've captured the complexities of life - that good people some times hold "bad" opinions and the struggles we all go through to accept what is "foreign" to us.
I like Gwen's story in that it really highlights for Ennis his narrow "escape" - not just escaping a loveless marriage but becoming the man who would hurt Alma that way.
I loved the metaphor of Jack as Ennis's sugar ;-)
This was a perfect way to end the chapter: Through the haze of his muddled thoughts, he felt his fingers grasping around the hard plastic of the telephone receiver, and heard a muffled voice coming from the earpiece.
"Ya there, Cowboy?"
In those enticingly euphonious words, Ennis found his peace - Jack knew. Somehow, Jack had always known, and yet he still loved him. Nothing else mattered.
"I'm here, Bud," Ennis breathed through is relief.
Jack and Ennis understanding each other so well - an understanding that come from the depth of their love.
I'm glad Gwen's story has gone over so well. She really is a good person, but she was used and hurt very badly by the only gay men she had ever personally known. Her husband was an asshole, but that is because he is an asshole, not because he was gay. That he painted such an ugly picture of all gay men, is his doing, and is really a betrayal of all gay men. While I'm sure there are gay men who hold women in contempt, just like some straight men do, I can't help but think that men are men, gay or straight, and that most of them are just decent human beings trying to get along in a world that can be rather hard on anyone who is different. One day Gwen and Bert will come to see that, too, but it won't be under the best of circumstances.
I just wanted to let you know how much I'm enjoying your story. Too bad Gwen can't have a talk with that woman that Ennis went to pick up at the bus station. She might change her mind about Ennis, at least, if she doesn't change her mind about gay men in general.
God, I miss Jack. Can Ennis take a vacation in Alaska? Big white hunter that he is, maybe he'd like to test his skills against the big game there? The "real men" at the ranch would buy that as an excuse for going to Alaska.
Unfortunately, I'm not sure Gwen is in a place to listen to anyone, including Delilah. Given time, she will come to see the light, but there was a lot of damage there. Like Thelma said, what gay men face is not fair, but treating women as toss away commodities just because they were born the way they are is not right either, and can even make enemies out of potential allies.
Sorry, but there are no vacation plans are in Ennis' future, but you're right, big game hunting in Alaska would be good enough for those real men.
I hope it's not too scary. Ennis has lots of people who care for him and will do their best to help him through these difficult times. Still, when push comes to shove, it will be Ennis' decision to accept himself as he is or not. No one else can do that for him. :-(
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Beautifully done - and your Ennis is so lost in the fears that rise within him - and yet so quick to allow Jack to pull him into acceptance. Really lovely.
CYN
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I've been thinking about you a lot these last few days, and hope you and your family are doing well.
Ennis has been on an emotional roller coaster for months - feeling hope, then losing it, then hoping again. All the turmoil is about to become too much, and he by the end of the next chapter, he will have made a very hard decision.
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This was difficult for Thelma and Elmer, too. They love their son and that will never change, but they can't bring themselves to turn their backs on Ennis because Bert and Gwen are too caught up in their own pain to see the pain that they are causing those who have never done them any wrong.
They might have succeeded momentarily, but by the end of the next chapter, Ennis will have had enough of hurting those he cares about.
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I like Gwen's story in that it really highlights for Ennis his narrow "escape" - not just escaping a loveless marriage but becoming the man who would hurt Alma that way.
I loved the metaphor of Jack as Ennis's sugar ;-)
This was a perfect way to end the chapter: Through the haze of his muddled thoughts, he felt his fingers grasping around the hard plastic of the telephone receiver, and heard a muffled voice coming from the earpiece.
"Ya there, Cowboy?"
In those enticingly euphonious words, Ennis found his peace - Jack knew. Somehow, Jack had always known, and yet he still loved him. Nothing else mattered.
"I'm here, Bud," Ennis breathed through is relief.
Jack and Ennis understanding each other so well - an understanding that come from the depth of their love.
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She really is a good person, but she was used and hurt very badly by the only gay men she had ever personally known. Her husband was an asshole, but that is because he is an asshole, not because he was gay. That he painted such an ugly picture of all gay men, is his doing, and is really a betrayal of all gay men. While I'm sure there are gay men who hold women in contempt, just like some straight men do, I can't help but think that men are men, gay or straight, and that most of them are just decent human beings trying to get along in a world that can be rather hard on anyone who is different. One day Gwen and Bert will come to see that, too, but it won't be under the best of circumstances.
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I just wanted to let you know how much I'm enjoying your story. Too bad Gwen can't have a talk with that woman that Ennis went to pick up at the bus station. She might change her mind about Ennis, at least, if she doesn't change her mind about gay men in general.
God, I miss Jack. Can Ennis take a vacation in Alaska? Big white hunter that he is, maybe he'd like to test his skills against the big game there? The "real men" at the ranch would buy that as an excuse for going to Alaska.
Judy
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Sorry, but there are no vacation plans are in Ennis' future, but you're right, big game hunting in Alaska would be good enough for those real men.
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