Lois and Carolyn, thanks for the beta...you’re the greatest! I would also like to thank everyone who previewed the chapters for me.
Chapter 29 – More Surprises Saturday Afternoon…(Day 62) “Debbie!” Ben acknowledged. She was standing beside his booth, just about ready to finally leave the Diner. “I didn’t see you when I came in.” “That’s because I had Kiki take part of my shift. I had some special shopping to do. I have a fucking hot date tonight with someone very handsome.” “So, Carl is taking you out for an evening on the town…it’s been a while since you two have done that. What’s the occasion?” “We’re taking Jennifer to see Divina Devore at the Kit Kat Club. She’s never seen a drag queen show before,” she added with a broad laugh. “This should be a fucking blast to watch!” “Did I hear you say you’re going to see Divina Devore? You mean Michael’s father?” “So I see that you know about that too,” Debbie said with a smile. “Leave it to Brian to make sure that fucking everybody knows. This is probably the biggest news since the little bombshell that he and Justin dropped a few weeks ago,” she added with a slight laugh. “I think it’s wonderful. This is something Michael has wanted for a very long time. For him it’s like a dream come true. But, how are you handling things?” Ben had to ask, for even though he was concerned about Michael, he was still very fond of Debbie as well. “Aside from the fact that my son hates me, you mean? You mean, aside from the fact that Michael now knows that I’ve lied to him his whole life? You mean, aside from the fact that he’ll never trust me again? You mean, aside from all that?” “I’m sorry, I guess I shouldn’t have brought it up,” Ben said apologetically. “Well, at least the whole truth is out in the open…now we can all begin to pick up the pieces before it’s too late.” “Honesty is usually the best policy. Although Debbie, believe me, I can understand why you might have done what you did long ago.” “Thank you for that, Ben. I don’t expect anyone to really understand. It seemed so right at the time. Now 35 year later…well…you know. Anyway, Danny invited us to see his show tonight, and I for one, am fucking looking forward to seeing it. I’ve never seen him perform before in drag, so this is as much a treat for Carl and me…as it is for Jennifer.” Ben couldn’t resist a smile. “I can only imagine.” “Well, let me get going. I have a lot to do before this evening. But, of course, I’ll see you and Hunter for dinner tomorrow,” she said emphatically. Ben immediately knew that it wasn’t a question, so he simply nodded. “Good!” Debbie commented as she turned to leave, giving him a slight swipe on the back of the head to punctuate her meaning. Ben smiled as he realized that some things never change. Once Debbie left, Ben remained seated in the booth a little longer pondering the events of his day so far. He had successfully talked to Michael, spent time with Jenny Rebecca, had a chance to talk to Melanie, and had received the usual swipe from Debbie. Ben realized that his world was slowly returning to normal. The events of the day had not finished unfolding, when a smiling Ted Schmidt joined him in the booth. “Ted, what on earth are you doing here this time of day?” Ben immediately asked. “Kinnetik is operating at top speed today. Of course, Brian’s in town cracking the whip, as usual. Only now, he has this new assistant that seems to have everyone really on their toes.” “Brian has a new assistant?” Ben asked with some surprise. “What ever happened to Cynthia?” “Oh, Cynthia’s still there. But today, Gus is Brian’s assistant too.” “I see,” Ben said with a laugh. “Dare I guess how interesting things really are at the company?” “Gus has already been attending meetings. Fortunately, he told me I was doing a good job. That means that Brian has to think long and hard about firing me. But I heard that Gus gave one of the artists a lot of grief about his boards. “So you see things are really hopping,” Ted added with a laugh. “So Gus is keeping everyone on their toes?” “From what I’ve heard, there isn’t much difference for the staff dealing with Gus and dealing with Brian. Of course, they were surprised by that turn of events. You and I, on the other hand, have already seen the six-year-old Gus in action, so we know what he’s capable of,” Ted reminded Ben with a smirk. “I see that you’re thinking about a certain hunger strike?” Ben said with a smile, as he remembered his last visit to Toronto. “Michael and I were there when Gus gave Lindsay and Melanie the silent treatment for the whole afternoon. The hunger strike was just the last straw. Yes, he’s definitely very strong willed.” “He’s got Brian’s attitude with Justin’s determination. Thank goodness, he’s only six. We still have time for Lindsay and Melanie to mellow him out a bit…if that’s even possible. I hate to think about the day when he is actually running Kinnetik.” “You know it won’t be long. Time has a way of flying past.” “Well, let me pick up lunch and get back to the office quickly. I’m surprised that my cell phone hasn’t rung with someone asking where I am,” Ted tried to say breathlessly. “I’d better hurry back. Right now, Gus likes my work. If I leave him and Brian alone for too long, I’m sure that Brian might encourage Gus to prepare my pink slip.” “I see your point,” Ben said with a laugh. “It sounds like a good idea that you get back there quickly.” “I’ll talk to you later, Ben. Will I see you at dinner tomorrow?” “Debbie and I were just discussing that.” “So she issued her royal command, did she?” “And I would like to bypass another swipe on the back of the head, so I’m thinking…” Ted cut off Ben’s remarks in his haste to leave, “Smart move! Just remember that you and Hunter are still a part of us…no matter what’s going on with you and Michael.” “I got that…” Ben quietly agreed. “Well, I have to go…. ” Ted said, leaving to pick up his take out order. *** “Theodore,” Brian said sarcastically, when Ted finally arrived back at Kinnetik. “It was good of you to finally rejoin us. Fortunately, while you were gone, my assistant and I had a meeting…” Brian let the last part linger in the air, as he enjoyed watching Ted squirm. Gus was sitting near by, carefully watching his dad. Gus then looked at Ted and slightly raised an eyebrow. Ted recognized the look and knew it didn’t bode well. He continued to hold his breath, reminding himself that in spite of how things appeared…he was only gone for a brief time…and Gus was only six years old. “Gus would like to examine the array of products from our newest account, Snookums Inc. We were thinking that you and Valerie may be able to guide him in his product review,” Brian said in all seriousness. “The Snookums Inc. products…right!” Ted said in agreement, letting out the breath that he had been holding. “I’m sure that Gus’ input will be invaluable. So Gus, shall we call Valerie and ask her to join us in the conference room after lunch…say in about 30 minutes?” he asked with a smile. Gus was now looking forward to his next meeting. In the meantime, Brian helped to spread out lunch so that Gus could easily manage it. Ted was even invited to pull up a chair and join Brian and Gus for lunch. After lunch, Gus and Ted called Valerie, and they all had a chance to review the products for Snookums, Inc, which makes a new line of brightly colored, soft and fluffy, stuffed animals. Needless to say, Gus had a lot to contribute to the product review as Valerie made careful notes. When the meeting was over, Gus couldn’t wait to run into Brian’s office to tell him about what he had seen. Brian patiently listened to all that a very excited Gus had to relay. *** Debbie arrived back at the house and was thinking about her date for the evening. The more she thought about it…the more she was looking forward to having both Carl and Jennifer with her as she enjoyed her first performance of Divina Devore. It was true, that a few days ago, Debbie had seen glimpses of Divina’s performance during rehearsals. But then she had too much on her mind…as she contemplated telling her son about all her lies. Back then, she had been too distracted by her own thoughts to really notice what was going on during the rehearsals at the Club. A knock on the door interrupted her musings. “Sunshine!” Debbie squealed, when she saw who was standing there. “What are you doing here? How did you escape?” she teased. “Brian left early this morning with Gus. So, since I had some sketches to drop off to Michael, I thought that I would stop to see you first. How are you?” Justin quietly asked, kissing her gently on the cheek. “I’m sure that Brian filled you in on everything…” “There really isn’t much that we keep from each other,” Justin admitted. “Somehow, I figured that,” Debbie quietly admitted. “So now you know that I’ve lived a lifetime of lies.” “One lie lived over a lifetime is not the same as a lifetime of lies,” Justin reassured her. He really could understand the difference. “You did what you thought you had to do.” “You know, Sunshine, with 20:20 hindsight, I really do see that I could have handled things differently. I was so obsessed with giving Michael a father that he could be proud of…that the truth was lost in the shuffle.” “Well you succeeded! Michael has had a lifetime of being proud of his war-hero father. Now that he knows the truth. I’m sure finding out that Divina Devore is his father is going to make him equally proud.” “You know, I never wanted him to know that some old drag queen was his father. I wanted more for him that. But, I don’t guess you would understand.” “Of course, I understand. I’m sure it’s natural for parents to want a lot for their kids. Craig and I once had a great relationship until he learned the truth about me. Then everything in our relationship suddenly fell apart. Michael, at least knows, that he’ll never have to deal with that. Michael and Divina Devore have a chance to be really close…given some time.” “Somehow, I knew that you would understand.” “And now that I know that you’re okay, I’ll let you get back to whatever. I’m going to go and drop off those sketches. Then I’m going to see if I can pry Gus away from all his fun at Kinnetik.” “So Gus opted to go to the office with Brian, huh?” “I’m sure that Brian’s been busy all day with Gus, especially since I know that he knew I had a lot of painting to get done. I’ve been very productive today, so I just thought that I would see if Gus wants to go riding with me.” “I know how much Gus loves to hang out with Brian, but I have the feeling that he’ll love riding with you better,” Debbie said with a laugh. “I don’t know. Gus loves to ride, but he loves to ride with Brian. I hope that between Gus and me, we can convince Brian to take a break from work and join us.” Debbie couldn’t resist smiling at Justin’s efforts. She was always touched by the way that Justin always managed to get around Brian’s walls. She knew even back in the beginning, when he was only 17, that Brian really didn’t stand a chance. Smiling to herself, Debbie was always glad that Justin had slid under the wire and circum-navigated Brian’s walls of resistance. Once again, she looked at his Sunshine smile and knew that Brian’s workday was probably over. “I don’t know,” she teased. “I bet that Brian and Gus have probably been working hard all day. But, you know, I have this feeling that the two of them may have had so much fucking fun together…” “You may have a point,” Justin said with a slight hint of defeat in his tone. “But since I’m in town, it never hurts to check. Anyway, let me go see Michael and then get to Kinnetik. I’ll let you know how things work out.” “And I’ll be able to tell you what the Divina Devore Review at the Kit Kat Club is really like,” Debbie teased. “What?” “Danny invited us to see the show. We’re taking your mother too. This is going to be quite an evening.” “Did my mother happen to mention who will be her date for the performance?” Justin subtly asked. “She hasn’t said anything to me. What? Are you worried that Jennifer is seeing someone secretly? C’mon Sunshine, you and Jennifer have a great relationship. I’m sure if there was someone new, she would have told you.” “I wouldn’t be too sure….” “Well she hasn’t said anything to me,” Debbie finally admitted. “But she’s been really supportive as I’ve tried to figure how to handle things with Michael and Danny. What are you really worried about, kiddo?” she finally asked. “Worry is exactly the right word. I just wonder if she’s seeing Tucker again. Neither she nor Molly has mentioned him in a while. I know that she liked him a year ago, but lately he seems to have just disappeared. I know that I’ve been in New York and everything, but still I have to wonder.” “I’m sure that your mother has just been busy, and you’ve got to admit you and Brian have kept all of us pretty busy, adjusting to your latest surprise.” she added with a laugh. “There probably hasn’t been time yet for her to meet someone new.” Justin had to laugh about the “latest surprise” comment. “You’re probably right…like you’ve said before, everything will be revealed in time.” “I’ll let you know what happens this evening,” Debbie promised. “I want you to rest easy when you go back to New York.” “Don’t worry, Debbie, either way I’m going to rest easy. I’m just curious that’s all,” Justin assured her. “Ah…huh!” “Sure….” Justin walked over to give Debbie a kiss as he said his goodbyes. Debbie watched him walk away. She couldn’t resist chuckling to herself as she realized that sons really don’t give their mothers’ a break. Now she knew that the situation was universal. Once again, she smiled as she realized the evening might be even more interesting than she originally imagined. She could hardly wait.