The Time Traveler's Lover : Jack at 15 months (Ennis' POV)
Inspired by The Time Traveler's Wife by Audrey Niffenegger
The characters belong to Annie Proulx.
Jack travels back and forth in time and sees Ennis and himself - visits that change everything and almost nothing.
For the purposes of this story, Jack and Ennis were both born in 1944 and the fight by the lake occurs in the spring of 1983.
The list of chapters in chronological order according to Jack's age are here.
July 4th, 1988
They were still picking their way between the other families sitting in the grass when the fireworks started going off. Even though the children seemed unfazed by the bangs and booms, Ennis stopped at the very next open space and they all settled onto the ground. After a minute a couple of punks waded through, laughing loudly, and chose a spot right behind them. When they didn't quiet down, Ennis jerked around to snarl at them but Junior laid her hand on his arm.
"It's OK, Daddy. They live on our street." She smiled over at them.
"Hey Alma. How's it goin?"
"Just fine, Jesse. This is my dad, Ennis."
Ennis touched his hat, nodded once and turned his attention back to the twins. If they wanted to dye their hair pitch black and outline their ears in metal studs, well, that was nobody's business but theirs. He studied the ground, tracing circles in the short grass, and thought back to Junior's first fireworks show in Riverton when she was the age of these little ones. He remembered how he'd lost his rag with those asshole bikers and spooked Alma, who hadn't understood he was doing it for her, for them. After the two men had crawled away he'd gone off to take a piss at the edge of the ballfield. Back then memories of Jack were tightly coiled, ready to spring out at any moment. Pissing against a tree had reminded him of roughhousing which led to wrestling in the dirt which led to lovemaking. He'd always tried to stop those images from unspooling to the end, and had hated himself when he failed, because in those days he thought he'd never see Jack again. Now he just let them unfurl.
Ennis still needed to be alone when that happened though, and he felt that need coming on so he made an excuse to Junior - well, the same excuse as on that long ago summer night - and moved away from the crowd. Unlike her mother, his daughter didn't pout at being abandoned. She was used to his ways now. He paused under a tree near the chainlink fence and watched the flares shoot up and shower down red, white and blue sparks. Junior and Kurt had urged him to follow them to Jackson when they moved here the previous year. They could make him a little apartment over the garage. He'd be a comfort to Junior when Kurt was working away for weeks at a time. Rich people were buying spreads and didn't know what the hell they were doing - plenty of work for someone experienced. He'd said no, but felt bad about it because he didn't know how Junior managed with two babies. His real fear was that Jack wouldn't be able to find him if he left Riverton.
There, that did it. He bowed his head and let the memory spiral out... sound of a truck below his window, then bounding down the stairs, Jack in his arms... a whimper becoming a wail.... He looked up and over to the source of the crying and saw a tiny child, barely a toddler, standing by the fence with the fingers of one hand hooked onto the links. Who the hell let their kid wander off like that, and without a stitch on?
He walked over to the boy and went down on one knee before him. "Where's yer mama?" he murmured as he shrugged off his jacket. He wrapped it around the child, who looked to be only slightly younger than Junior's sons, and lifted him into his arms. Ennis rose to his feet while pulling the jacket close around the boy, making sure he was well covered. When he looked down into the little face then, and saw the blue eyes gazing intently up at him, he went still. Those black, whiskey-soaked nights came back so vividly that he shuddered. Only one thing had saved him.
Ennis stroked the boy's dark hair and ran his thumb over his cheek as they stared at one another. When he traced his finger over his rosy curving lips, the child opened his mouth, bit Ennis' finger and laughed. Then he was gone, and Ennis was hugging his jacket to his chest.
The fireworks were exploding in a deafening volley of red flares when he finally made his way toward his daughter. He saw her craning her neck, searching for him. She smiled broadly when she spotted him approaching and a small bubble of contentment rose in his throat. She would be happy with his decision.
<< Jack's First Year (Ma Twist's POV) | Jack at 4 (Ennis' POV >>
The characters belong to Annie Proulx.
Jack travels back and forth in time and sees Ennis and himself - visits that change everything and almost nothing.
For the purposes of this story, Jack and Ennis were both born in 1944 and the fight by the lake occurs in the spring of 1983.
The list of chapters in chronological order according to Jack's age are here.
July 4th, 1988
They were still picking their way between the other families sitting in the grass when the fireworks started going off. Even though the children seemed unfazed by the bangs and booms, Ennis stopped at the very next open space and they all settled onto the ground. After a minute a couple of punks waded through, laughing loudly, and chose a spot right behind them. When they didn't quiet down, Ennis jerked around to snarl at them but Junior laid her hand on his arm.
"It's OK, Daddy. They live on our street." She smiled over at them.
"Hey Alma. How's it goin?"
"Just fine, Jesse. This is my dad, Ennis."
Ennis touched his hat, nodded once and turned his attention back to the twins. If they wanted to dye their hair pitch black and outline their ears in metal studs, well, that was nobody's business but theirs. He studied the ground, tracing circles in the short grass, and thought back to Junior's first fireworks show in Riverton when she was the age of these little ones. He remembered how he'd lost his rag with those asshole bikers and spooked Alma, who hadn't understood he was doing it for her, for them. After the two men had crawled away he'd gone off to take a piss at the edge of the ballfield. Back then memories of Jack were tightly coiled, ready to spring out at any moment. Pissing against a tree had reminded him of roughhousing which led to wrestling in the dirt which led to lovemaking. He'd always tried to stop those images from unspooling to the end, and had hated himself when he failed, because in those days he thought he'd never see Jack again. Now he just let them unfurl.
Ennis still needed to be alone when that happened though, and he felt that need coming on so he made an excuse to Junior - well, the same excuse as on that long ago summer night - and moved away from the crowd. Unlike her mother, his daughter didn't pout at being abandoned. She was used to his ways now. He paused under a tree near the chainlink fence and watched the flares shoot up and shower down red, white and blue sparks. Junior and Kurt had urged him to follow them to Jackson when they moved here the previous year. They could make him a little apartment over the garage. He'd be a comfort to Junior when Kurt was working away for weeks at a time. Rich people were buying spreads and didn't know what the hell they were doing - plenty of work for someone experienced. He'd said no, but felt bad about it because he didn't know how Junior managed with two babies. His real fear was that Jack wouldn't be able to find him if he left Riverton.
There, that did it. He bowed his head and let the memory spiral out... sound of a truck below his window, then bounding down the stairs, Jack in his arms... a whimper becoming a wail.... He looked up and over to the source of the crying and saw a tiny child, barely a toddler, standing by the fence with the fingers of one hand hooked onto the links. Who the hell let their kid wander off like that, and without a stitch on?
He walked over to the boy and went down on one knee before him. "Where's yer mama?" he murmured as he shrugged off his jacket. He wrapped it around the child, who looked to be only slightly younger than Junior's sons, and lifted him into his arms. Ennis rose to his feet while pulling the jacket close around the boy, making sure he was well covered. When he looked down into the little face then, and saw the blue eyes gazing intently up at him, he went still. Those black, whiskey-soaked nights came back so vividly that he shuddered. Only one thing had saved him.
Ennis stroked the boy's dark hair and ran his thumb over his cheek as they stared at one another. When he traced his finger over his rosy curving lips, the child opened his mouth, bit Ennis' finger and laughed. Then he was gone, and Ennis was hugging his jacket to his chest.
The fireworks were exploding in a deafening volley of red flares when he finally made his way toward his daughter. He saw her craning her neck, searching for him. She smiled broadly when she spotted him approaching and a small bubble of contentment rose in his throat. She would be happy with his decision.
<< Jack's First Year (Ma Twist's POV) | Jack at 4 (Ennis' POV >>