BrokenBack Mountain
"His folks still up in Lightnin Flat?"
"Oh yeah. They'll be there until they die. I never met them. They
didn't come down for the funeral. You get in touch with them. I suppose
they'd appreciate it if his wishes was carried out."
No doubt about it, she was polite but the little voice was cold as
snow.
The road to Lightning Flat went through desolate country past a dozen
abandoned ranches distributed over the plain at eight- and ten-mile
intervals, houses sitting blank-eyed in the weeds, corral fences down.
The mailbox read John C. Twist. The ranch was a meagre little place,
leafy spurge taking over. The stock was too far distant for him to see
their condition, only that they were black baldies. A porch stretched
across the front of the tiny brown stucco house, four rooms, two down,
two up.
Ennis sat at the kitchen table with Jack's father. Jack's mother,
stout and careful in her movements as though recovering from an operation,
said, "Want some coffee, don't you? Piece a cherry cake?"
"Thank you, ma'am, I'll take a cup a coffee but I can't eat no cake
just now."
The old man sat silent, his hands folded on the plastic tablecloth,
staring at Ennis with an angry, knowing expression. Ennis recognized
in him a not uncommon type with the hard need to be the stud duck in
the pond. He couldn't see much of Jack in either one of them, took a
breath.
"I feel awful bad about Jack. Can't begin to say how bad I feel.
I knew him a long time. I come by to tell you that if you want me to
take his ashes up there on Brokeback like his wife says he wanted I'd
be proud to."
There was a silence. Ennis cleared his throat but said nothing more.
The old man said, "Tell you what, I know where Brokeback Mountain
is. He thought he was too goddamn special to be buried in the family
plot."
Jack's mother ignored this, said, "He used a come home every year,
even after he was married and down in Texas, and help his daddy on the
ranch for a week fix the gates and mow and all. I kept his room like
it was when he was a boy and I think he appreciated that. You are welcome
to go up in his room if you want."
The old man spoke angrily. "I can't get no help out here. Jack used
a say, 'Ennis del Mar,' he used a say, 'I'm goin a bring him up here
one a these days and we'll lick this damn ranch into shape.' He had
some half-baked idea the two a you was goin a move up here, build a
log cabin and help me run this ranch and bring it up. Then, this spring
he's got another one's goin a come up here with him and build a place
and help run the ranch, some ranch neighbor a his from down in Texas.
He's goin a split up with his wife and come back here. So he says. But
like most a Jack's ideas it never come to pass."
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18 嶄猟井