Notes:  I woke up from a dream thinking that the coffee table was made of exotic wood. Justin would reach for the Pledge and Brian would hand him a polishing cloth and a container of the finest carnuba wax, i.e., car wax in Justin’s mind.  After researching the Mies van der Rohe table on-line, I discovered that it is glass on a chrome base.  I had to change my thinking just a tad; the basic plot was still the same.

Thanks:  I want to thank Misty and Teresa for encouraging me to finally put my thoughts down on some form of media.  

*****


I saw it the first time I went to the loft after I left Brian.  I had to tell Brian that I wouldn’t accept the tuition payment he’d made on my behalf.  

I planned to drop out of PIFA.  Daphne was livid and Ethan assumed I was on a scholarship.  Yeah, I thought, the Brian Kinney scholarship.  I just couldn’t ask Brian to continue with our agreement because we weren’t together anymore.  

So, I went to see my father, or should I say Craig; he had ceased to be my father a long time ago.  I figured that he would put a condition on the loan of money like going to Dartmouth, but Craig wouldn’t help me unless I gave up my disgusting lifestyle and go to his alma mater.  I thought he would at least accept me for the man I was becoming.  After all, I had made the dean’s list in spite of the claw.  I showed him my portfolio and he was impressed.  I knew I had to try even though I knew he would say no.  

I couldn’t let my mother help; it was hard enough to support herself and Molly.  My only other option was to ask for a deferment on the tuition or drop out.  

Ethan and I went to the bursar’s office to request a deferment of tuition so I could earn some additional money.  I was surprised, to say the least, when I learned that the semester’s tuition had been paid.  Ethan assumed that Craig had come through.  But, I knew better.

So, I arrived at the loft and the door was unlocked.  I was surprised at this fact knowing how Brian was about locking the door and setting the alarm.  It was as if he expected me.  I slid the heavy metal door open and saw Brian in the distance watching a movie on the flat-screen TV.  It was an old western in black and white.  He liked to watch the classics; he told me he learned a lot about life from them.

Brian was semi-reclining on one of his white leather chairs; you know the ones that match the Italian Moda sofa.  Well, he had his feet propped on the coffee table.  It was a new coffee table.  I also noticed a few other items added to the décor.  But the coffee table caught my attention.  I guess his beautiful feet grabbing the edge of the table demanded more of my attention than anything.  Such long, sexy feet.  It was a Mies van der Rohe design.  I looked it up when I got a chance and discovered it was part of the minimalist Bauhaus design that Brian liked.  It went well with what I call our “ice cream kisses” chair.  But I digress.  

I told Brian that I couldn’t accept the tuition.  He asked me if someone else was paying it.  I said no, and he replied then I had no other option but to continue our tuition agreement.  After all, we had a deal.  Not that I had a lot of money making ideas.  He reminded me of “Rage” and of course I didn’t want to continue with the comic after what Michael had said and done.  

I was ready to walk out the door when Brian reminded me of my computer.  I really didn’t want to accept it, but I really needed it because it made my school projects a lot easier as I was still having problems with my right hand.  Fucking Hobbs.  Brian had boxed up the computer and it was sitting near the loft door.  You know, I actually didn’t see it sitting there when I entered.  I struggled to push it out of the door and into the elevator wondering how I was going to get it back to Ethan’s building and up all those steps.  I guess the bus was out of the question; I had a few dollars of tip money in my pocket that I could use for a taxi.

The next time I saw the coffee table was after Brian and I got back together again.  Not that we were considering ourselves a couple. But as Brian told a trick, I was the guy he fucked more than once.  I liked hearing that.

Rather than sit more formally at the dining room table, we would sit and eat our plates of carryout food at the coffee table.  It just felt more intimate sitting on the floor feeding each other from our plates or just out of the box.  Every now and again Brian would allow me to order a pizza, and of course the box rested in the middle of the coffee table.  

This mundane routine of romantic picnic-like meals continued for a while, at least that’s how I felt.  One time when we were really getting aroused we almost ended up, well crashing through the top of the smooth glass tabletop.  Clothes were flying every which way as we tried to make it into the bedroom.  Our passion just couldn’t make it 15 feet.  We ended up on the floor just beside the said table laughing ourselves silly.

Then came the Stockwell poster debacle. Brian and I were fired from Vangard and I was suspended from PIFA.  I came to the loft after a shift at the diner and I found Brian sitting at the low glass top rolling joints and drinking beer.  Sitting on a corner of the table was one of Debbie’s tuna macaroni casseroles.   He said she had stopped by with some comfort food from his childhood.  I warmed it up and set two plates on the coffee table for dinner.  For someone who said they didn’t like tuna macaroni, he sure did polish it off.

When the back rooms and the baths were closed due to Stockwell’s promise to make Pittsburgh family friendly, Brian announced he was having a private orgy at the loft.  He spent quite a bit of time on-line finding just the right guests to invite.  Brian printed pictures of his guests to show to Michael and me. He wanted me to attend, but I had promised Daphne that I would help her study for mid-terms.  Besides the only person I wanted to have an orgy with was Brian.

I came over the next afternoon.  The loft was a major disaster area.  His cleaning lady, Sofia, would have a cow if she had seen it.  There were cushions strewn all over the place, overflowing ashtrays and remnants of lines of coke on what seemed to be any and every flat surface.  Then there were dirty glasses and empty beer bottles everywhere, not to mention used condoms and empty foil wrappers.  I even found one on the bar in the kitchen.  Eewwww.

I asked Brian how would he keep a cleaning lady with a mess like that.  Sophia always took such pride in working for Mr. Kinney, but she would be appalled at this mess.  Every surface in the loft would be sparkling after Sophia had spent the day in the already immaculate loft.  

I attempted to help Brian clean up.  I dumped the ashtrays and empty bottles in the trash can and daintily picked up the used condoms with rubber gloves I found in the closet with the cleaning products.  I found the bottle of Windex and the paper towels and started for the coffee table. 

Brian shouted for me to stop in my tracks.  He told me not to even think about using Windex on his Mies van der Rohe.  I was promptly seated on the sofa to watch a video.  I thought he had put in a porn tape when I saw “Care and Feeding of Your Mies van der Rohe table” on the screen.  I watched it, but I said you’ve to be kidding.  It’s just a piece of chrome with a glass top.  Oh no, I was told that only Liquid Glass was to be used on the glass top and chrome cleaner on the legs and supports.  Brian led me back to the cleaning closet and pulled out a soft polishing cloth and the Liquid Glass and chrome cleaner.  I looked at the containers and then back up to Brian’s face.  I told him that these products were for cars.  I was promptly informed that these were the products to use, nothing else.

Ok, so I used the Liquid Glass and the chrome cleaner.  I think the Windex would have done a better job, but I did what I was told.  It took a while to buff up a shine, but it got done.  After our mega cleaning bash, Sophia never suspected what happened to her little domain. 

I came over one day after another shift at the diner and saw the naked guy painting on the way out the door.  The Moda leather sofa and chairs were already gone along with the Mies van der Rohe table and the liquid TV.  Brian had just bought the new TV just a week before; he said it was his means of shopping therapy.  

I offered him money, but then I found out what Brian had done to put the anti-Stockwell ad on the air.  He had maxed out five gold cards and then sold off his furniture.  

Brian started walking around in circles; he said he was experiencing possession withdrawal.  He head into the bedroom to lie down.  I followed him and commented that at least he hadn’t sold the bed, to which he replied he would have rather sold a kidney.  

I asked why he did it.  He told me some asshole told him that if you believe in something strongly enough you have to willing to sacrifice everything.  Wow, my own words spoken back at me.  I guess he really does listen to me.  He looked so vulnerable looking up at me from the bed.  Oh how I love this man.  I gently kissed him and we just cuddled up on the bed in the empty loft.

Later in the day, we started to straighten up what was left in the hollow-sounding apartment.  It seemed so big when fully furnished and even bigger when totally empty; well, except for the bed, a futon cushion and the kitchen barstools.  

I was stacking up CDs, DVDs, and video tapes, when I came across the “Care and Feeding of Your Mies van der Rohe Table” tape.  I asked Brian how the new owners of the table would care for the coffee table.  He shrugged his shoulders in reply.  

I say they will use Windex and a paper towel.  

I just hope that he doesn’t expect me to use the Liquid Glass and chrome polish on the ‘vette when Mikey and Hunter return.  I just have a bad feeling about the condition of the ‘vette upon its return.