Time: somewhere between 1963 and 1982, night, the interior of a tent. Ennis and Jack are lying together, and have made love recently enough so that the first words spoken in the scene are the first words spoken afterwards.

But somehow, the usual "spoon" configuration has gotten reversed, and it is Ennis who lies inside of Jack's curve, rather than the other way around, and Jack's arms are around Ennis's waist.

Ennis is half-trying to encircle both of Jack's wrists with one hand, and then trying a different method, then another.

"Hey," said Jack

"Hey yourself," said Ennis.

I just had the funniest feelin''- maybe, it's an idea."

"What"

"I don't want to move from here. Ever."

"Ya mean—ever?"

"Yes. Never," He put his mouth in Ennis's hair, kissing it so softly he hoped Ennis wouldn't even notice, over and over.

"Well," said Ennis, "first we'd get real hungry—I mean, besides having to piss and shit…"

"No, first we'd get real thirsty."

"Yeah, guess yer right," Ennis answered.

"And then. Maybe a little hungry," said Jack.

"What are ya doin' to my hair?" asked Ennis.

"Kissing it," said Jack.

"Funny conversation t'go with kissing," said Ennis.

"Sorry."

"No. Go on, tell the rest," he said, and picked up Jack's right hand and kissed the palm.

Jack tried briefly to ignore the new conflagration this started inside him. "'N, then," he cleared his throat. Ennis laughed a little, so that his shoulders shook. "After a while, we'd go t'sleep, when we got tired of bein' thirsty."

"T'be continued," said Ennis, tuned over and began manhandling Jack all over, undoing buttons where he came to them. Jack grabbed Ennis's head and shoved his tongue hard down Ennis's throat.

When he took his face away, Ennis looked at him hard a minute and said, "Izzat so?"

"Yes, that's so," and Jack began softly kissing Ennis's lips as if the idea would never occur to him to invade his throat. "C'mere, animal," he said, as he turned him over, spreading the cheeks of his buttocks, and began softly licking his asshole, like a momma cat. "Tell me about how holes aren't important," Jack said, between licks,

"I...never said that. Oh God, maybe we c'n talk about it sometime, Jack."

Having anointed himself, Jack slid his penis into Ennis, "tell me about, how yours isn't," he said, slowly moving in, and less far in. They never talked during sex…."Tell me," he said, moving faster, getting shorter and shorter of breath, "how the earth is full of bumps, and no holes." He put his hand over Ennis's on the tent floor.

"Jack- " said Ennis.

"That's me," he answered, hardly able to speak now, " don't you forget it,"

He felt Ennis ejaculate beneath him, but did not remove himself, "stay down." He said softly, and Jack lay on top of him, still inside him, a piece of him.

"Yer still there," said Ennis.

"For a little while, "said Jack, Tears ran down his face; he didn't know why. Maybe it was the story.

"Good," said Ennis, rubbing the arm that lay by his face now.

Finally Jack climbed out of Ennis, and lay, as before,as the outsid spoon of the two, his arms around Ennis's waist. "O.K. Now? Can I finish my story?"

Ennis backed up so that he lay tight against Jack. "Yes, go 'head."

"And then, after we went to sleep, we'd die."

"But it would take a long time..." said Ennis

"Maybe not, if we were together," Jack said.

"Maybe not," said Ennis, doubtfully.

"And then, all the little critters of the grass and woods would come and eat on us: snails, flies, bugs, blowflies, maggots, crows, other carrion birds..."

""N the bigger animals too, maybe.'

" Not many big fellas realty like dead people. Even fleas and lice don't eat the dead."

"Perticular. "

"Yes. But if they're hungry enough, wolves would help."

"Good."

"So after a year, we'd be picked clean as clean."

"Jus' bones."

"Just bones."

"Jack, I—" he stopped. Jack waited a moment; no more words were forthcoming.

" See, Ennis, that's the special part; when you're dead, you don't know you're alone, even when you are."

"I s'pose," said Ennis, doubtfully again.

Jack smiled an invisible smile in the darkness. and punched Ennis in the shoulder, "You never want to do anything interesting…Ennis," he said, the pause before the name devoted to suppressing five or ten love-names that immediately sprang to Jack's mind.

"Aw, go t'hell, ya old—" Ennis was at a loss as to what to call his comrade who had not only suggested a voluntary, but ultimately excruciating, death, but had also subjected him to a lecture on sex (or was it geography?) when he was about to come. He would be the last person to admit that either of these things was remotely interesting, or stimulating.

'On both sides, thus, is simple truth suppressed.'

"Goodnight, Ennis."

"'Night, Jack."

After a few minutes, when he was sure Ennis slept, Jack said, softly, " I love you."

Both slept. Of the two, Jack's sleep was the more peaceful.

---

Author's note: The quotation is from Shakespeare's Sonnet #138: "When my love swears that she is made of truth/ I do believe her, though I know she lies."