oh well! if only!

Awww, Pete, I feel so sorry for him. A chance to a lifetime of love turned down by fear.
It's sad that at 58, he had no one and no place to call home. No wonder Ennis was freak out by the fact that he could have easily be another Pete if Jack finally had enough heartbreak and move on without him. He is looking at an alternative version of his life if he let fear run his life.

I understand Jack's vulnerability, after being disappointed so many times and have your dreams shot down every single time for so many years. It leaves you feeling insecure about how long it is going to last when you finally get what you wanted.
Hopefully he will regain some certainties about their relationship once Ennis proves he is not longer going to let his fear stop him from loving Jack.

Ennis kept alternating between rodeo and cowboy when he calls Jack.
I think Ennis calls Jack 'Rodeo' and Jack calls Ennis 'Cowboy'.
Doesn't make much difference in terms of the story, but just noticed it and thought it was a bit off Ennis calling Jack Cowboy

You have described Jack's pain so vividly that it hurted just reading it. My heart literally ache. "Yer breakin' my heart, Ennis, breakin' it one piece at a time, and it's killin' me, just as surely if you stabbed a knife in it. I could put a gun in my mouth and it would be over and done with and be a whole hell of a lot less painful than what yer puttin' me through."
He is right of course, there is only so much one can take before it becomes soul destroying.

About time Ennis! It took Jack to explain in detail how much pain you have caused him that death is a sweet relief.
Just glad they are still relatively young when this took place, so they can work together towards that sweet life.

I've probably read this story five or six times now, but I love it every time!

I confess, my heart clenched at Uncle Hal asking, "So I can go home?" Because how does a person in Tom's position answer this question? There are no right answers to this but Tom, I think, got closest.
Which just means to me that you've captured the heartbreak of a moment like this, and makes me look forward to how the story plays out, sensitively, heartachingly realistic. Well written and I need to read more.

Beautiful scene

Your words just fill me up.

These are just too sweet.

Great chapter. Loving the whole story.

Love it :)

Amazing in every aspect, except they say I love you far to often and ennis is very diffrent right off the bat.

Thank you.

I feel sooo happy when I read this story. The funniest part, I think, is the watching movie part. That healed me a lot :)