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One day a letter came instead of a postcard. It pissed Ennis off for no other reason than that Jack had done something unexpected. Again. Ennis liked his predictable life just fine, and he had no intention in changing that, not even for Jack. Especially not for Jack.
Turned out the letter was just the beginning, because around the time they were supposed to meet, a package arrived but no Jack. When Ennis opened it in his truck outside the post office, he found a hooded parka with a note attached. The note read, "Something to keep you warm on those cold mountain nights. Jack". Ennis shoved parka, note and ripped-open package in the back seat and took off, leaving a cloud of dust behind him.
That Ennis ended up in the hospital with acute pneumonia a couple of weeks later had nothing to do with him going camping over the weekend with only his thin, worn-out jacket. In hindsight, it had been a stupid thing to do, but up there it had felt like victory, showing Jack that he didn't need him or his fucking parka to keep warm, temperatures hitting record cold levels that year be damned.
Coughing fits threatening to rip one's lungs out can mess with a man's mind, though. That and heavy medication. The fact that the only lonely visitor had been a pigeon using the windowsill outside the hospital room as its preferred landing spot didn't improve things much either. These were the only reasonable explanations Ennis could think of if someone asked him why he could be found behind the wheel of his truck heading south as soon as he was allowed off bed rest.
If Jack was surprised as he opened the door, he didn't show it. Just took a look at Ennis and told him, "You look like shit, Ennis." The wide grin that accompanied his words told another story entirely.
"You gonna let me in or what?" Ennis replied as looked around from under the brim of his hat to make sure no curious eyes were lurking behind picket fences or window frames. Old habits die hard, even if one does something crazy and unexpected for once in his life.