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Ed and Hank - Five things challenge
Four ideas that didn't pan out
(And one that did)
Note: If this doesn't qualify for the challenge 'cause it's 'Ed and Hank', let Hank know. You don't have to have been reading Ed and Hank's story to read this. Hope it's not too redundant for those who have been reading.
Word count: about 2,760 (No pictures this time) Disclaimer: Hank told their story to Annie Proulx. Jack and Ennis are all hers. Ed and Hank belong only to each other. Rating: PG $$: Nope. Comments: Always appreciated.
Everything else is here:
http://myeyesaintblue.livejournal.com/10082.html
Four ideas that didn't pan out
(And one that did)
“I swear, Hank... I’m gonna take tha’ computer ta the dump some day… Prob'bly tomorrow.”
“Sure ya are. You takin' a break, Ed?”
“Nope. 'M still in the barn workin'."
"If'n ya think yer still in the barn workin' then I think maybe you been workin' too hard."
"Ain’t ya done writin’ ‘bout our trip yet?”
"I ain't writin’ ‘bout the trip. Hey, Ed... how come ya love me?"
"Don' love ya."
"Ya do so, dumbass. Jus' wanna know why is all..."
"Ta tell ya the truth... I ask m' self tha' very question prit near ev'ry day... Ain't come up with a reasonable answer yet."
"C'mon, Ed... I really wanna know..."
"Shit. Why ain't it 'nough tha' I do? Why d'ya gotta know 'why'...? "
"Thinkin’ ‘bout tryin’ ta write somethin’ fer this here ‘challenge’ they got goin’ on the site I post our story on."
"I shoulda known..."
"Don't really know if’n I can write ‘bout us fer the challenge on accounta we’re kinda Ennis ‘n Jack, but I know we ain’t them neither."
"Maybe you should jus' change our names ta Jack 'n Ennis?"
"Ya know I cain't do tha'. But I need a break from writin' 'bout the trip so's I thought I'd do somethin' else 'n the theme this month is 'five things' 'n...”
“So's... lemme guess... ya wan' me ta give ya five reasons that I love ya."
"Yep."
"Told ya... the hell if I know."
"C'mon, Ed... Jus' give it a try."
"Shit. Well... Ya are damn good lookin'."
"I think yer damn good lookin' too, but that ain't no good reason."
"Sure it is."
"What if'n ya woke up tomorrow only ta discover I weren't good lookin' no more?"
"Just ain't poss'ble. I'd think you were good lookin' no matter whatcha looked like. Always have. Always will."
"Ain't quite sure if'n I been insulted or not."
"'N a course, when ya set yer mind to it... 'n sometimes even when ya don'... ya can still make me feel like I been run over by a Mack truck. 'N I mean that in a good way."
"Yeah... I know tha' feelin'. Think I still got some tire marks on me from a couple a nights ago."
"'N ya make me laugh 'n I can be silly 'round ya if'n the mood strikes. Know I told ya all tha' before... Don' think I hardly laughed in m' life 'fore I met ya tha' summer. 'Course some a the time it's at ya 'n not with ya... but still... 's laughin' jus' the same."
"You make me laugh too, Ed. 'N I love it when yer silly."
"And... uh... Guess tha's 'bout it."
"Yer s'posed ta come up with five reasons... Ya cain't even come up with two more?"
"...Nope... 'M prob'bly jus' one a them shallow-types."
"Maybe I could say tha' ya love me jus' 'cause a who I am...? Ya know... jus' 'cause I'm me 'n all."
"'Course I love ya 'cause yer you. Who the hell else wouldya be? Don' love ya 'cause yer Bill. 'Sides usin' tha'd be cheatin' 'cause them other reasons' jus' fall under tha' one. Yer good lookin' 'cause yer you. Ya make me see double 'cause yer you. Ya make me laugh 'cause yer you. Makes sayin' 'I love ya 'cause yer you' kinda redundant."
"Thought ya said ya only knew one fancy word?"
"Wha'...? Redundant? That ain't tha' fancy."
"Gotta be some other reasons..."
"Well... Whadda 'bout you? How 'bout you tell me why you love me?"
"Guess tha' 'bout sums it up fer me too... 'cause yer damn good lookin' 'n you can stop me dead in my tracks with one look 'n ya make me laugh so hard I cry sometimes 'n jus' 'cause yer you 'n not Bill or nobody else even though tha's redundant. Shit... Ya'd think we could think a one or two more reasons... Need five."
"I got nothin'."
"Me neither."
"How 'bout we fall back on all tha' boy scout stuff... Pick a couple of 'em... I love ya 'cause yer kind 'n yer loyal 'n yer cheerful 'n yer friendly 'n yer courteous 'n ya help old ladies 'cross the street 'n all tha'. 'N yer clean. Some a the time anyways. 'Course I love ya when yer dirty too... Maybe even more than when yer clean... Like when it's a hot day... 'n yer in the barn workin'... 'n ya take yer shirt off... 'n yer all sweaty 'n salty... 'n I jus' wanna... but we cain't 'cause Bill's 'round... so's I send him off ta run errands 'n... Jeez... Sorry... Wha' was the question, Hank?"
"I don' think I care no more."
"Kinda got side-tracked there... 'N tha's more 'n five reasons anyways."
"Liked tha' last one a lot though..."
"Ya know... Maybe that one reason ain't redundant after all... Maybe it's the only reason 'n everythin' else is wha's redundant... I love ya 'cause yer you 'n you love me 'cause 'm me 'n there ain't no other way of explainin' it..."
"Yeah... Guess there ain't. But tha' don' help me none with tha' challenge thing..."
"How 'bout writin' 'bout the five best days we ever had or somethin' like tha'?"
"Tha' migh' work... There's tha' first night... 'n tha' second night..."
"Yeah... tha' second night..."
"'N the night we first saw each other again after all them years apart 'n the whole week after tha'."
"Yeah. Damn... tha' were a good week."
"'N one a my all time fav'rites was the first time we had this here house to ourselves fer tha' week when my folks went ta visit my aunt 'n uncle."
"Tha' were a real good week too."
"'N the day you came ta stay permanent-like..."
"Tha' weren't actually a real good day fer me. Neither were the weeks leadin' up ta it. I were scared ta death... 'fore I moved in 'n after too..."
"Sorry, Ed... know how hard tha' musta been fer ya."
"No ya don'. Not really."
"Okay. Not really. But I got some idea."
"Fair 'nough."
"'N then there was when ya finally moved inta the house from tha' trailer."
"Tha' weren't real easy neither. Not near as bad as movin' here. 'N ya might not a noticed... But it made me real nervous fer a while."
"Yeah... Ya hid it real well. Runnin' out there ta turn the lights on 'n off. Jumpin' at ev'ry sound. Lookin' out the window all the time... 'N pacin' back 'n forth... Fer some reason ya paced back 'n forth a lot."
"Guess I didn' hide it as well as I thought."
"Tell ya, Ed... All the stuff ya done this year... Wouldn' hardly know you were the same person..."
"Then when ya said ya loved me fer bein' me didya mean the me I am now or the me I were before?"
"Loved ya fer who ya were back then 'n I love ya fer who ya are ta day 'n I'll love ya fer whoever yer gonna be tomorrow. 'Lessen ya turn inta some kinda anti-gay crusadin' bible-thumper. Tha'd purty much be a deal breaker."
"I'll do my best not ta."
"'Preciate tha'."
"Tell ya the truth, Hank... think I liked all them ordinary days best of all. Jus' like this one. All them years a jus' day ta day livin'."
"Yeah. Gotta agree with ya Ed. Think I remember writin' tha' very thing. Jus' good ol' borin' everyday life. Ain't nothin' better, but it don' make fer much ta write 'bout."
"That ain't seemed ta have stopped ya."
"Nope. Man's gotta have a hobby... somethin' ta do 'n all... I mean besides you, a course. Sorry... old joke... done ta death... Jus' couldn't help m' self."
"Here's 'nother old joke... You could always try workin' fer a livin'."
"'Nah... Tha' seems ta be yer hobby... Wouldn' wanna horn in."
"Thanks. Real considerate of ya."
"Yer welcome."
"Ya know... If'n ya really wanna write somethin'... I bet you could prob'bly pick out five days you could call the best if'n ya tried... Even if a couple of 'em might not a been the best fer me."
"Yeah. Imagine I could. Trouble is... I wrote 'bout all a them days already. 'Cept fer tha' second night in the tent... Kinda don' wanna write 'bout tha' though."
"Why not? Ya wrote 'bout ev'rythin' else, didn' ya? Shit. Not that 'm meanin' ta encourage ya here..."
"Know I could never put it inta words. But even if I could I don' think I'd wanna. Tha' night were... it were ours... It is ours. 'N I guess I jus' wanna keep it tha' way.
"Gotta admit... 'm glad ya ain't gonna write 'bout it."
"I fell in love with ya tha' night, Ed. Or maybe it were the night before. Or maybe it were the first time I ever laid eyes on ya."
"Me too, Hank. 'Course it took me a l'il longer ta figure it out."
"A l'il longer, huh?"
"Yep. Justa l'il longer."
"Jus' glad ya fin'lly did."
"Yeah... Me too, Hank."
"Maybe I could write somethin' 'bout the five senses... Ya know... the first time I saw ya... the first time I touched ya... the first time I really got a good uninterrupted whiff a ya... first time I tasted ya... first time I heard ya moan my name as ya..."
"Jeez... Cut it out, Hank... I gotta get back ta work..."
"You started it... 'N yer better at it, too. Damn... Them are all mostly from tha' second night anyways... Guess I kinda got it in my head now..."
"Uh... me too."
"Hard ta believe it were so long ago."
"Forty-some years. Sure don' seem like tha' long. Hey... maybe you could pretend it were a few years longer... fifty years... tha'd make it five decades. Ya could write 'bout the high points a each decade or somethin'..."
"Nah... Tha'd be takin' a l'il too much dramatic license. 'Sides don' wanna age us prematurely... Shit..."
"Wha'?"
"Fifty years...? Almos' fifty years gone by since tha' summer..."
"Well... technic'lly we still got a fair ways ta go ta fifty."
"Gonna be here 'fore ya know it. Hell. Older I get the faster the time goes. Ev'ry hour seems ta go by like a minute. 'N every day rushes by like 'n hour 'n ev'ry week flies by like a day 'n ev'ry month like a week 'n ev'ry year like..."
"Yer math ain't real logical... If'n an hour's like a minute tha'd mean a day would be more like..."
"Ya know what I mean, dumbass."
"Yeah. I know whatcha mean. 'S the same fer me, Hank. Back when I'd be waitin' ta see ya time used ta barely crawl by..."
"You can say tha' again. I remember watchin' the clock... Swear it even went in reverse sometimes."
"'N now... now it goes so fast... Too fast. Wanna jus' hold onta ya 'n... 'n I don' know wha'... Jus' stop time. Jus' hold onta ya fer dear life 'n stop the damn clock from tickin'."
"C'mere, Ed..."
"Ain't that I don' know we're real lucky. I do. I know most folks don' get near the kinda time we get ta spend ta gether."
"Yeah... We sure as hell made up fer them years apart, didn't we? Ain't hardly been more 'n a loud holler 'way from each other most a the time."
"Wouldn' wan' it no other way."
"Me neither, Ed."
"Ya wan' me ta let ya go? Back ta writin', I mean?"
"Nah... Think 'm givin' up on tha' five things theme since none a them ideas panned out too well."
"Yer givin' up awful easy... Gotta be more 'n them ideas... Lessee... ya had why I love ya, our best days, tha' five senses stuff 'n tha' decade thing... Maybe you should make a list... write 'em down 'n then think a other ideas too. Somethin' migh' pop out atcha tha' way. Or one a them migh' start lookin' better to ya."
"I dunno... Maybe... Wait a minute... You feelin' okay, Ed? Ain't like you ta encourage me ta write... 'N ya been kinda encouragin' through this whole conversation."
"Jus' know ya like ta write is all... But don' go thinkin' this means 'm gonna stop bitchin' 'bout it."
"Wouldn' have it any other way."
"'N I do got one other idea... But it ain't got nothin' ta do with writin'..."
"It don't, huh?"
"Nope. Ya got much else ya gotta get done 'round here this afternoon?"
"Nothin' tha' couldn' wait 'til after 'm dead. But I thought ya said you had to get back ta work?"
"'S nothin' tha' couldn' wait 'til after yer dead neither."
"Hey..."
"So... Ya wanna maybe dig out the tent, saddle up the horses, throw some food 'n stuff in a backpack 'n ride over ta our spot...? Ya know... the place where ya... where we... built all them cairns? Jus' fer the night. Ain't been out tha' way in a while."
"We spent most a the summer sleepin' in the back a the truck or in a tent 'n ya wanna go campin' now? When we got our big ol' bed right here?"
"Tha' weren't campin'. Tha' were payin' ta sleep in big ol' crowded parkin' lots with some grass 'n a few trees 'round. So ta answer yer question... Yeah... I wanna go campin'. Now."
"Window's open... Plenty a fresh air in here... 'N there's a good view a the stars at night... Why don' we jus' throw the sleepin' bags down in fron' a the window in pretend we're campin'?"
"Nope."
"Then how 'bout we jus' throw 'em down in the livin' room... next ta the fireplace?
Tha'd be real nice 'n warm 'n..."
"Nope. Got the urge ta get you inta a tent, dumbass."
"We could set up the tent behind the house?"
"Nope."
"Behind the shed?"
"Nope. Yer a l'il slow, aintcha? Guess I gotta spell it out fer ya... I thought... maybe... we could go there 'cause it's real secluded-like. 'N then maybe I could ride off ta tend some pretend sheep fer a while... 'n when I come back you could be standin' in the firelight waitin' fer me... 'n then... then it could be like tha' second night all over again..."
"Well... I dunno..."
"Fine. If'n ya really don' wanna go..."
"Ya cut me off dumbass... I was gonna say... I dunno what the hell we're waitin' fer... C'mon, Ed... Let's go campin'."
"Good idea, Hank."
Later...
"Jeez... Ya didn' happen ta get the license plate number a tha' truck tha' hit me, didya Hank?"
"Yep. It had one a them person'lized plates... said, 'I-LUV-ED'."
"Love you too, dumbass. Coulda done withou' ya breakin' from the script with tha' song though. S' one thing ta set the poor ol' dogs off at home... but ya musta had ev'ry coyote in a three mile radius howlin' their fool heads off..."
"'S tha' damn car commercial... Ev'ry time ya turn on the TV they're playin' it... It's stuck in my head 'n I cain't get it out... 'Rock Ed gently... Rock Ed slowly... Take it easy, dontcha know... that Ed ain't never been loved like this befooore'..."
"Cut it out, Hank... Yer gonna get them coyotes all riled up again."
"Yeah... But wha' 'bout you?"
"Sure as hell not like tha'. Ya know... I wouldn' be s'prised if'n there's a real irritated grizzly bear out there contemplatin' tearin' this tent apart 'n havin' his self a midnight snack."
"Ain't no grizzly bears in this here state. Be more like a real irritated chipmunk... 'N the two a us migh' be able ta fight off a chipmunk... Guess it depends on just how irritated he migh' be..."
"Grizzly prob'bly come over from the next state jus' ta check out tha' god-awful noise."
"Ain't ya never heard a music soothin' the savage beast?"
"Key word there would be 'music'. Whatever yer doin' ain't got nothin' ta do with music."
"How 'bout I jus' sing a l'il quieter? 'Oh my darlin'... Oh my baby... You got the moves tha'... Drive me crazy... 'N on your face... I see a trace a love...' Here lemme wipe tha' off fer ya... 'Come hold me close... Don' lemme go... I need yer dumb ass... I love ya sooo... You were made fer me by the stars above... Oh baby... Baby... Rock me gently... Rock me'..."
"C'mere, dumbass..."
"Knew it'd get ya riled... 'Ain't it good...? Ain't it right...? Tha' you are with me... Here toniiiiiiight'..."
"Yeah... It is... Real good. Now shut the hell up 'n kiss me."
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