SEPTEMBER 2012 Gus Peterson-Marcus was standing on the playground of his new school waiting to start the first day of the sixth grade. Even though Gus was a very confident young man he was concerned because for the first time in his school career he wasn't attending the G A Custer Elementary school but was going to Crazy Horse Middle School. Instead of having one teacher for all subjects he was going to have a different teacher for each subject. Gus wasn't really worried that he would have any more problems with his school work in the 6th grade than he had in the past 6 years at Custer Elementary but he had found that it was wise to be prepared for unexpected situations. Mainly Gus liked to be prepared for every possible little detail, he didn't like surprises. Maybe he would have a teacher that didn't like him. Maybe the class work would be harder than he expected, Maybe he wouldn't be able to charm every other student in the school like he had in the past. None of these were likely to happen but Gus worried about them and other unlikely events simply because it was his nature to be prepared for any possibility. At Custer everyone had known about his family, here at Crazy Horse only those students who had also attended Custer Elementary would know about his mothers and fathers. Gus was wondering if he should tell his teachers right away or if he should wait until it was something they really needed to know. He had been brought up to believe that people should be judged by their own behavior and actions, not by what group they belonged to. So Gus finally decided that he wouldn't advertise his family makeup until it was actually required to answer some situation he might find himself involved with. He didn't realize that his permanent record had come with him to Crazy Horse and therefore any of his teachers who wanted to know about the families of their students already knew about the family situations involved. As the day went on Gus and his classmates found that the school day wasn't really that much different from what they had known at their elementary schools. There were 9 classrooms of each of the 3 grades, 6th, 7th, and 8th, at the school, the teachers rotated from room to room instead of the students moving from room to room like they would when they got to High School. Crazy Horse students came from 3 different elementary schools, Custer, Benteen, and Reno, each classroom of the sixth grade was evenly divided(as much as possible) with students from each of the elementary schools. So of the 30 students in his classroom Gus already knew 9 and by the end of the first day he was friendly with all of the students in his classroom. Gus had never had any problems making friends. His best friend, Lance Smith, from Custer was in a different 6th grade classroom though. At the start of each hour a new teacher had come to the classroom, introduced themselves and the course they would be teaching and giving the students a basic overview of what would be accomplished in the coming year, handed out textbooks, a few even gave homework assignments. Gus found that he would have Math, English, Physical Education, and Fine Arts before lunch. Fine Arts was a mixture of Art and Music with two teachers. After lunch he would study Spanish, Social Studies, and Science. There were no interschool sports for 6th graders but there were intramural programs after school. Interschool events started with the 7th grade. Gus was already looking forward to playing football as it was by far his favorite sport. The Social Studies teacher, Mr. Hickenbottom, had told the class that they would be studying World History with an emphasis on cultural development through the years. As a part of this they would be doing a year long project involving genealogy. In addition to the standard information on their family trees they would also try to find out cultural information of their ancestors. Where the person was born, what part of the country and any other cultural items possible. Mr. Hickenbottom gave the example of a family friend who was born in Germany but wasn't German because he was the child of an American serviceman stationed in Germany at the time. Mr. Hickenbottom emphasized that they not get worried if they couldn't find everything out for every ancestor but that they would learn how to use the school computers to research as much as possible. But it was always best to get as much information from family sources first. Gus immediately thought of how his unique family situation was going to effect this project. When the bell rang to end the class he asked Mr. Hickenbottom when would be a good time for a private talk about the project. "Gus, I'm free right after school, meet me in the Library." "OK Mr. Hickenbottom I'll see you then." When they met in the Library an hour later Gus started the conversations with "Mr. Hickenbottom I have to ask you a question about the family tree project. I have a unique family and I wanted to know if I need to research all four parts or just the biologic part?" "I don't understand Gus." "Well I have 2 lesbian mothers and 2 gay fathers. How do I make a family tree showing this situation?" "Hmm, that is a question I haven't dealt with before. I think that the best answer would be that for your official project you just do the family tree using your biological parents and their families. But I'll look into how we can show your other parents and their families for your own personal family tree." "Thanks Mr. Hickenbottom, that sounds like a good solution to me. Thanks for meeting with me." "No problem Gus feel free to ask me anything you need to know as the year goes on." When Gus got home the house was empty since his Mom and Mama felt that he was old enough now to be alone for a few hours. They had decided during the past summer that one of them didn't have to be home when he got there from school. Gus did the very little bit of homework he had been assigned. Then he mowed the lawn and was just cleaning up when his Mama got home from work. "Hi Mama, I found out today that we will be doing a family tree project for Social Studies." "That sounds interesting Gus." "I asked the teacher about my situation and how I should deal with it." "Oh?" "He said that for the official project I should just do my biological family but that we would work out a way to have yours and Uncle Justin's families as a part of a family tree just for me." "That sounds reasonable." "Do you have your family tree available, he said that while we will do research on the net it's always best to start with what the family already has." "Yes I have a family tree that my Aunt did years ago, it goes back at least 5 generations for some of the branches though it probably isn't up to date with the latest generation." "That will give me a great start. Do you think Mom has anything like that?" "Knowing your grandmother Peterson, she probably had a family tree, researched by the most famous genealogists of Pittsburgh, going all the way back to the Romans." "Mama!" "Just kidding Gus. We'll ask when Linds gets home." "How about Dad and Uncle Justin?" "You will have to ask them, I'm sure that Jennifer will have something on her family and probably Justin's Dad's side as well. Brian I wouldn't count on having much in the way of a family history." "Why is that?" "He didn't have a happy childhood Gus and hasn't kept in touch with his family, as far as I know anyway. You will just have to ask him though." "Well I hate to bring up anything that will cause him pain." "Gus don't worry about it just ask him what he knows and accept what he tells you. He loves you with all of his heart and will help you as much as he can. Just don't expect a lot with this particular question because I really doubt that he knows much." "OK Mama, what are we going to have for supper?" "What do you want to make?" "You mean you will let me cook?" "Sure, what has Justin taught you to make lately?" "We made Reubens the last time I was over there." "Sounds good to me, do you think we have the makings or will we have to go get them?" "I'll go check. Thanks Mama I love cooking, do you think that means anything?" "No Gus it doesn't mean anything except that you like doing things that Justin does." "Well I don't like kissing Dad as much as Uncle Justin does." "I'm glad, young man, that you said that with a grin on your face." "Mama you don't know how hard I've had to work over the years to get them to kiss when I'm around." "What?" "They won't kiss in front of me so I have to pretend to be looking somewhere else first." "Why?" "I think that Dad is embarrassed if he thinks I can see them." "Well that is something I never thought I would hear, Brian Kinney being embarrassed about kissing a guy." "Mama you won't say anything will you?" "No Gus your secret is safe with me." "Did you know that Deb tried to tell me once that Uncle Mikey had kissed Dad in front of her." "She did?" "Yes and I told her that Dad had only kissed Uncle Justin and me. What is so funny Mama?" "I just thought of a joke I heard today at work." When Lindsay arrived, just in time to eat supper, she told Gus that yes she had an extensive family tree that he would be able to use. It didn't quite go back to the Romans but there were branches that went back 400 years. "Mom do you think that Dad will have anything on his family? Mama doesn't think that he knows much about them." "What is with this Mom and Dad business Gus? I thought we're Mommy and Daddy." "Mom I'm in the 6th grade now I have to grow up you know and Mommy and Daddy are so juvenile." "Don't get upset Gussy I was just asking." "Gus Mom." "I know son, but Gussy just sounds so right sometimes." "What about Dad and his family?" "I don't know Gus, you will just have to ask him and accept what he gives you. Don't press him about his family though Gus that is a sore subject for him. It was painful for him long before you were born and it still is." "Why?" "It's a long story and someday he might be willing to talk to you about it but I wouldn't press him yet." "OK Mom. I never want to hurt any of you." "I know that honey. So you made supper again, it was delicious." "Uncle Justin is a good teacher." "Justin is just a good person in every way Gus, I hope you appreciate that. This weekend when you are over there you can ask Justin and Brian what they know about their family histories." "OK Mom." After school on Friday Gus went to his Dads house instead of his mothers since he was spending the weekend with them. No one was home so he took his stuff up to his room. He was looking at the mural of the petting zoo that covered the walls, that his Uncle Justin had painted years ago when they had first moved into the house, when he decided that it was time to change the decoration of his room. But he didn't want to hurt Uncle Justin's feelings by asking to cover up his work of art. "Gus what are you thinking about?" "Uncle Justin I didn't hear you come home." "Judging by how you are staring at the walls you have decided that you are too old for a petting zoo mural in your bedroom." "Uncle Justin how do you read my mind? But I don't want to hurt your feelings by covering all of this up." "Gus I told you when we moved in that whenever you were ready to change it to not worry about it." "But Uncle Justin it's so pretty." "Tell you what Gus pick out 4 areas that you especially like and we will have those sections of the wall removed and we will have them framed as pictures. We'll have the holes patched and then we can do whatever you want to the wall." "That sounds great, I'll have to think about what parts I want saved but I just want plain paint so that I can put up pictures and posters on the walls." "That sounds just like my room back when I lived with Mom and Dad." "Then that is what I want. By the way I have a project for Social Studies class that I need to ask you and Dad about." "Dad?" "Yes I have decided that I'm too old for Daddy and Mommy, do you have a problem with that?" "No Gussy." "Uncle Justin!!" "Sorry Gus I couldn't resist. What is your project?" "We're going to learn about various world cultures and so we're going to do family trees, with as much cultural information that we can find in addition to the standard genealogy information." "Sounds interesting but Gus I'm not a part of your family tree." "Yes you are Uncle Justin just like Mama is as well. For my official project I'm only going to be able to put what I find out about Mom and Dad but Mr. Hickenbottom is going to find out how I can do a Family Tree with all four branches for my own personal family tree." "That sound great Gus, I'm sure that my Mom will have an extensive file for her side of the family. I can tell you a little about the Taylor side but unless Mom or Molly has more that is all I can do. I haven’t been a real part of the Taylor family since I came out." "Thanks Uncle Justin. Mom and Mama don't think that Dad will know much about his family though." "That is probably true Gus. He didn't have a happy childhood and didn't keep in contact with them after he moved out and went to college. I never met his father and met his mother only once. You will just have to ask and use what he knows." "It won't hurt him if I ask?" "No just don't press him for more than he knows." "OK Uncle Justin. Mama let me make Reubens last Monday, what are you going to teach me to make this weekend?" "Well tonight we have plans to eat out and go to a movie, what do you want to learn how to make tomorrow?" "How about fried chicken, mashed potatoes and gravy." "OK Gus one chicken frying lesson coming up tomorrow afternoon. Think about what pictures you want made from this mural and let me know when you decide." "You're sure you don't mind covering it up?" "I'm sure Gussy, I mean Gus." Gus didn't have time to ask his Dad anything about the family tree since Brian barely made it home before they left for the restaurant. After dinner the three went to a movie and when they got home it was time for Gus to get ready for bed. Saturday morning Gus was helping his Dad with the yard work when he remembered his project. "Dad I have a project for Social Studies that I need your help with." "What happened to Daddy?" "Dad I'm too old to call you Daddy anymore." "Gus you will never be too old to call me Daddy. Or is it I'll never be too old to hear you call me Daddy. What is the project?" "Oh we're doing a cultural family tree. So I need as much about your family that you know, then I'll use the school computers to find out as much more as I can." "Well Gus I don't know much. My Dad, Jack, died before you turned one, my Mom was named Joan and I have a sister Claire who has two sons. I don't remember any grandparents and I vaguely remember an aunt. Sorry I can't be any more help than that." "That's OK Dad I'll use what I can and the computers will probably be able to find more. Where were your parents buried? There would be some dates on the stones." "I don't remember which cemetery Gus and I just didn't care enough about my family to try to remember something like that. I'm sorry Gus." "That's OK Dad, don't worry about it. We need to finish the yard work before the game starts." "You and watching football games." "I like football Daddy especially Penn State." Sunday afternoon Gus was happy to see his Grandma Jenn drive up to the house. "Hi Grandma, did you come for supper?" "No Gussy but Justin called me about your project and I brought a disc with Justin's family tree information. It has more on the Birnie side than the Taylor side but then that is mainly because it was done by my sister's daughter. I'm sure that there is enough on the Taylor side that you will be able to find more on the net. I also printed up a copy for you to look at. I can stay for supper if it's all right with your Dads and we can go over the printout and I can add anything cultural that I know to the basics already on it." "You know that you are always welcome to eat here Grandma and it will be fun to work on the printout with you. How is Aunt Mollusk?" "She still is mad at Justin for letting you get into the habit of calling her that. But other than that she's enjoying nursing school." "Let's go tell Uncle Justin that you are staying for supper and that he needs to add more shrimp to the Jambalaya." "Has he taught you how to make Jambalaya yet?" "No he says that one will have to wait until I'm old enough to understand the romantic background that comes with making homemade Jambalaya. What is so funny Grandma?" "I just thought of the first time Justin made Jambalaya by himself. You will have to get him to tell you that story when he teaches you to make Jambalaya." After supper Gus, his Uncle Justin and Grandma Jenn spent over an hour adding what cultural references they knew to the printout of the Taylor/Birnie family tree. After his grandma left to go home Gus took the printout up to his room where he put it and the computer disc into a notebook that he planned to use for his family tree project. He took a piece of paper and wrote down what he knew about his Dad's family. Compared to the information he now had for his Uncle Justin it was pretty skimpy. Monday night Gus put the discs his Mama and Mom had gotten with the Taylor disc and the sheet of paper with the Kinney information. The more he looked at the printouts of his four families the smaller the Kinney side looked. Gus thought that maybe his Aunt Claire might know more but he had no idea how to contact her since his Dad hadn't told him her married name and he didn't want to ask his Dad. Since his grandparents were both dead he couldn't ask them. Without any birth and death dates, though he did know that his grandfather had died in 2000 or 2001, it would also be hard to find much information on the net other than through sheer luck. Oh well Gus thought I'll just be able to do what I'm able to do and worrying about it won't help make it any better. While Gus' mothers had decided that he was now old enough to spend some time alone when they're at work they still tucked him at night. Gus had thought about telling them that he really was too old to be tucked in but he decided that he didn't want to hurt their feelings by making them realize how old he really was getting to be. So when his Mom came into his room that night she noticed his family tree information on the desk and asked him about the project. "Gus how is your project going?" "I've got the basic information for all four sides the rest of the year will be just adding as much cultural information as possible. I wish I had more from Dad's side though but with everyone being dead or unavailable it will be unlikely if I can find any more information even on the net." "As far as I know only Jack is dead Gus, I've never heard anything about Joanie's death." "Well the way Dad talked about her I though she was dead." "I think that is probably more how he thinks of her Gus but I could be wrong and just didn't hear about her death. Don't bother your Dad though Gus, use what he gave you and if that is all you can get then that is all you can get." "Sure Mom, the last thing I would do is cause Dad any pain." By Thursday afternoon Gus had decided that he would try to find his Grandmother Kinney on his own and ask her if she knew more about the Kinney family tree. So Thursday night Gus got the Pittsburgh area phonebook and started looking for Joan Kinneys. He didn't find any Joans but he did find two Jack Kinneys. One address was in a very new subdivision of a Pittsburgh suburb but the other was in the same neighborhood as Deb Novotny's house. Since his Dad and Mikey had been childhood friends Gus thought that it was likely that if his grandmother still lived in Pittsburgh it probably was at that address. Gus then had to decide how to contact her. He could call her or write a letter but it would be too easy for her to ignore those means of communication if she didn't want to talk to him. His other option was to show up on her doorstep but the address was far enough away from either of his homes that he couldn't ride his bike there and back in a reasonable length of time for him to be gone from home. He didn't think that any of his parents would approve of his getting in contact with his grandmother Kinney so he couldn't ask them for a ride. Mikey, Teddy or Aunty Em probably wouldn't keep his secret from his parents so they were out. Grandma Jenn and Deb probably wouldn't take him either so he was left with only one option. Gus needed a phone number before he could put the first part of his plan into operation. "Uncle Justin do you have Molly's number at school?" "I think so Gus, why do you want to call Molly?" "I haven't talked to her since she started school this year and she needs to hear from her "baby brother" once in a while don't you think." "You're not going to tell me are you?" "Uncle Justin what do you mean?" "Nothing Gus, by the way did you ever decide what part of the mural you want saved?" "Yes the parts where the family can be seen. You looking out from behind the easel, the part where I'm in it, the section where Mikey, Teddy, Aunty Em and Deb are looking at me, but most of all the part where Dad is petting that colt and looking very unhappy." "Then next week I'll start the ball rolling and in a few weeks we should have everything back to plain paint. What color do you prefer?" "Blue." "I'll get some paint chips and you can pick out the exact color then." "Thanks for everything Uncle Justin, you do know I love you don't you?" "That has never been in doubt Gus." Gus went back to his room and called Molly. "Hello." "Hi is Molly Taylor home?" "Hey Molly you have a phone call It sounds like an eligible bachelor." "Hi." "Hello Aunt Mollusk." "Gussy how many times have I told you not to call me that?" "About the same number of times I have told you not to call me Gussy." "What do I owe the pleasure of your call?" "I need a favor Molly. I need a ride somewhere and a promise that you won't tell anyone where we go." "Gus that is pretty heavy." "It's nothing bad, I don't want you to be my getaway driver for a bank heist." "Funny Gus. When and where, not to mention why?" "I'm doing a family tree project for school and what I have for my Dad's family is pretty thin. I recently figured out where Dad's mother lives and I would like to go meet her and see if she knows anymore about the family. She just lives too far away for me to get there on my bike." "Why don't you ask Justin or your Dad?" "I'm not too sure that they would approve, Dad isn't close to his family and Uncle Justin won't do anything that he thinks would hurt Dad's feelings. Can you drive me there and home again." "I know that it probably is a mistake but when have I ever turned my cute baby brother down." "The last time." "When do you want to go on this caper?" "Tomorrow would be nice but whenever works for you is fine though it pretty much has to be a Saturday or Sunday afternoon since that is the only time that I have a big block of free time." "I can take you tomorrow as long as we're done by 5." "I'm at my Dads this weekend I'll be at the park down the street from the house at 1 I'll see you then. Thanks Molly I'll owe you." "I'll add it to your tab Gussy, see you tomorrow." Gus had told his Dad that he planned on spending the afternoon with his friends since there wasn't a Penn State game on TV. Gus was waiting for Molly when she drove up exactly at 1PM. "Well Gus where exactly am I driving you?" "It's west of Liberty Ave. north of Tremont." "Gus are you sure you want to do this?" "Yes Molly, I have a grandmother I have never met and I have a reason to meet her so I'm going to do it." "How do you want to play this meeting Gus?" "I'll just ring the bell and ask her if she has a son named Brian, if she says yes then I'll tell her that he's my Dad and that I have some questions about the family I would like to ask her. Then I'll play it by ear." "Do you want me to wait in the car or go with you?" "Waiting in the car will probably be best." "Well Gus what is the exact address? We must be almost there since we crossed Liberty a while back." Before he knew it Gus was ringing the doorbell of what he hoped was his grandmother Kinney's house. "Hello, yes young man how may I help you?" "Excuse me Mrs. Kinney but do you have a son named Brian?" "Yes I do, why are you asking? No don't bother now that I look at you I know the answer to that. You would be Brian's son?" "Yes, how did you know?" "Well young man you are the spitting image of my son except for that blonde hair." "Oh yeah I forgot about that." "What can I do for you, a grandson that I didn't know was alive 5 minutes ago?" "Well I have this project for school that Dad wasn't able to help me with and when I found out that you were still alive I thought that you might be able to help me." "What kind of project young man? What is your name?" "I'm sorry, where are my manners? I'm Gus Peterson-Marcus and it's a family tree project." "Well Gus why don't you come into the house where we can be more comfortable and why don't you go invite your friend in as well." "Thank you Mrs. Kinney." Gus then walked down to car. "Molly she invited me in to talk and you too." "Gus I don't think so I'll just find a coffee shop and do some homework, I'll be back in an hour." "OK Molly, see you in an hour." "Mrs. Kinney, Molly is going to find a coffee shop and do some homework and come back for me in an hour, is that OK?" "Yes Gus." Gus then waved at Molly and she drove away. "Gus how about you call me grandmom instead of Mrs. Kinney that is what your cousins call me." "Sure grandmom. You are sure you don't mind my dropping in on you like this?" "Once I got past the surprise of having a grandson I didn't know existed letting you in the house is nothing. The last time I spoke to my son I found out that he was a homosexual how is it that he has a child?" "I'm a test tube baby grandmom. Lindsay Peterson is my birth mother." "I remember a Lindsay Peterson but she and Brian quit dating long before you could have been born, how old are you?" "I just turned 12." "From what I have been told and figured out they have been friends forever and when Mom and Mama decided that they wanted a child Dad was the only sperm donor that Mom would consider. Legally he signed his rights to me over to Mama but he has always been a part of my family just like Uncle Justin." "Justin, he's still with Justin, that surprises me." "Why would that surprise you?" "I've never heard that homosexuals were particularly faithful to each other and the Lord knows that Kinney men aren't faithful." "Dad and Uncle Justin are completely faithful to each other and always have been." "Who drove you here Gus?" "That was Molly, she's Uncle Justin's younger sister. Actually I think of her as more of a big sister than aunt and she treats me like her baby brother." "Gus where are my manners would you like a snack or drink of some kind?" "No thank you grandmom, it would spoil my dinner and Uncle Justin would wonder why." "They don't know you are here?" "No I kind of snuck here without telling any of them, that is why I got Molly to drive me. You live too far away from home for me to ride my bike here and get back home in the time I have free. Everybody kept telling me not to push Dad about his family and he just didn't know enough to help me with my project so I decided to ask you. But since I didn't want to hurt his feelings I couldn't tell him what I wanted to do and I couldn't tell Uncle Justin because he would tell Dad. Mama and Mom wouldn't have kept the secret either. Actually none of my family would have kept the secret except for Molly and if she was still living with Grandma Jenn she probably wouldn't be able to keep it secret from her. Luckily for me Molly lives in the dorms at her nursing school." "Brian's still so upset with me that asking him questions about the family would set him off." "I don't know. Everyone just told me not to push him so I didn't take any chances. Why have the two of you been at odds?" "It's too complicated to go into today Gus. But I would like to see you again and we could talk about it then. What exactly do you need for your project?" "Well I'm making cultural family tree. It's the typical family tree with as much cultural information as possible as well." "Cultural information, what do you mean?" "Things like national origin, religion, geographic information, and basically anything else we can come up with. All Dad knows is that your name is Joan, his Dad was Jack, that he has a sister Claire who has two sons. He didn't know any birth or death dates so that would make it very hard to find things on the net too." "Well Gus our family Bible was one of the few things Jack got from his father, it has a lot of that kind of stuff written down but it isn't all in one place so it will take time to copy it all down. I can also get more information from my sister who has the O'Reilly family Bible." "Sounds great grandmom. But we will have to figure out a place to meet that I can get to on my bike since I can't expect Molly to drive me here again." "Where do you live Gus?" "I live with my mothers though I do spend most weekends with Dad and Uncle Justin. The two houses are only 6 blocks apart though and they're on the other side of Liberty Ave. south of Tremont." "There is a public Library branch about halfway there from here we could meet there." "I didn't think to ask will it be hard for you to get there?" "I drive Gus I'm not as old as you must think." "I learned a long time ago that it wasn't helpful to figure out how old adults are. You simply can't win." "You are a very wise young man Gus." "Thank you but with four parents raising me something had to rub off." "Well Gus your ride will be coming back soon, hard to believe that an hour has passed already. Can you meet me tomorrow at the Library, I'll have time tonight to write down what is in the Kinney Bible. I'll get the information from my sister next week and we can meet again next weekend. I want to get to know you Gus. I would like to mend my fences with my son before I die as well." "Sure grandmom when do you want to meet, it would have to be after dinner though." "I get out of church around 1 so I could be at the library around 1:30." "OK I'll be there tomorrow." Just then they could hear a car horn. "Molly must be back. Thank you grandmom for not slamming the door in my face and for all of the help you are going to give me." "Gus I slammed too many doors in my son's face all those years ago I won't make that mistake again. Give me a hug." "Good bye grandmom." Gus was ecstatic. His meeting with his grandmom had gone much better than he expected. But the best was her comment about wanting to mend fences with his Dad. Now all he had to do was figure out a way to get his Dad and grandmom in the same room without his Dad knowing about it. Gus knew his Dad well enough to know that it wouldn't be easy. He knew that it would work best if his Dad thought that he was in control of the situation instead of someone else. Therefore he couldn't just ask him to meet with grandmom he would have to set up a situation where they did meet but that his Dad thought was under his control. After a while the perfect answer occurred to Gus and he decided that he would start implementing it the very next day. After dinner on Sunday Gus got his plan started. "Dad I'm going to the Library this afternoon. I'll be back in time for supper." "OK Gus see you then." Gus then got his backpack from his room and biked over to the Library branch. He waited outside for his grandmom who was little late. "Hi Gus, church ran long today. Have you been waiting long?" "Only about 10 minutes. Did you bring the Kinney information?" "Yes I brought the Bible too since some of the older inscriptions I couldn't read, I thought your younger eyes might be able to see what they say." Gus and his grandmom had spent the next several hours copying the information about the Kinney ancestors from the Bible onto the notebook paper he had brought from home. It was confusing since it didn't have everything neatly lined up in the typical family arrangement but that just made the experience more fun as the two pieced the information together. When they had finished they found that the actual Kinney line extended back 250 years to Scotland. Thomas Mackinney had moved from the Highlands to County Clare in Ireland where he had married a local girl and converted to Catholicism. But Gus found the information about his Dad and Grandparents interesting as well. His grandmother, Joan Marie O'Reilly, was born in January 1948 in Pittsburgh. His grandfather, Shawn Michael Kinney, was born in December 1935 in Harrisburg. They were married in Pittsburgh on April 1 1968. Their first child Claire was born September 15 1968. Brian Shawn Kinney was born May 14 1971. Gus was old enough to figure things out and old enough to know better than to say anything about what he figured out. "Grandmom I thought Dad's father was Jack Kinney?" "Well Gus that is the only name he went by and in fact the first time and only time I ever heard him called Shawn Michael was on our wedding day when the Priest called him that. He didn't like Shawn, thought it was too Irish, Shawn is the Irish equivalent of John and he got Jack from John. Almost no one knew his name was Shawn though, I'm sure your Dad never knew it." "I never knew that Dad had a middle name let alone Shawn." "I imagine he thought it was too Irish as well." "But you know Grandmom this also explains why Dad fell in love with Uncle Justin." "How so?" "Everyone always gives him grief since Uncle Justin's 12 years younger than he is but you were 13 years younger than your husband. So it must run in the Kinney line to be attracted to younger beautiful people." "Why Gus you little scamp." "That is something else people are always calling me. But does that mean I should be going to Hospital nurseries looking for my future companion? Look at the time, I'm going to be late I have to get going. Same time next Sunday?" "I can give you a ride Gus so that you don't get in trouble." "No that isn't necessary besides I don't think we could get my bike in the trunk of your car. I won't get into trouble, after all I've been at the library even Dad won't get mad about that not that Dad gets mad at me." "OK, I'll be here next week with the O'Reilly information." "Thanks grandmom I'll see you then." With that Gus gathered up the papers and put them in his backpack. He then carried the Bible back to his grandmom's car got his bike and rode back to his Dad's place. "Gus you are late, do you have anything to say?" "Sorry Dad I lost track of the time. I found a very interesting book on Irish history." "Irish history?" "Well I do have to have cultural information for my project and the Kinney's are Irish aren't they?" "That is what I was told Sonnyboy. Go get cleaned up for supper we don't want to keep your Uncle Justin waiting." Gus had found that the computer that he was allowed to use at his Dads house had a family tree program. Luckily the files made by all genealogy programs could be used by all other genealogy programs and he had been able to integrate all of the files he had gotten so far from his family members. Since Mr. Hickenbottom hadn't told him how to connect his non-biological family to his biological he had kept the Marcus and Taylor information separate. Since the information he had gotten from his grandmom was only on paper he had to copy it into the program. Since there was quite a bit he didn't get it all done that Sunday night before he had to go to bed. He was taking his time since he didn't want to mess any of it up as he put it into the program. "Gus it's time you get ready for bed." "All right Uncle Justin. I'll just finish up this section. Is it OK if I leave this stuff here until next Saturday instead of having to take it back home and then bring it back?" "Sure Gus just clean everything up and leave it neat. You know how your Dad feels about a messy house." "Thanks Uncle Justin I won't be long." So Gus finished what he was typing into the program, put all of the papers into a file folder which he had labeled FAMILY TREE PROJECT making sure that the top page in the pile was the one that had the information concerning his grandmother and grandfather. He placed the file folder next to the computer instead of putting into the desk drawer. Gus then went to his room and got ready for bed and was almost asleep when his Dad stopped in the doorway. "Well Gus did you have a good weekend, we hardly saw you this time." "Well Dad I'm growing up you can't expect that I'll stay in the house every minute can you?" "I can expect it Sonnyboy, but I know better. Just don't try to grow up too fast. You have been trying to grow up too fast as long as I've known you and I met you the day you were born." "Goodnight Dad." "Sleep tight Sonnyboy." Gus had found that when he was running a plan that time sped by faster than normal so before he knew it he was back at the Library meeting with his grandmom. "Gus my sister sent me a copy of the family tree file that her granddaughter made." "That certainly will make it easier to put it into the total file. It's hard work typing everything into the program." "My sister told me to get some information from you so that her granddaughter can add it to the family file." "What information?" "Well when you were born, when your Dad and Justin became a couple, anything about your mother." "Well grandmom I can let you have the information about me but everything else I would have to get permission to use and I'm not ready to ask them." "Sure Gus, I didn't think of that. Whatever you are comfortable with now and anything later is fine as well." "I was born around 1 AM September 8 2000. Uncle Justin was the one who picked my name." "He did?" "Well actually Mom and Mama had two names picked out, Abraham and Gus, and Dad asked Uncle Justin what he thought. Uncle Justin said that I wouldn't last a day at school as Abraham so they settled on Gus. Though on my birth certificate it actually states my name as Augustus Brian. Though no one has ever called me anything but Gus or Gussy. Well I have been called Augustus when I've been in trouble for something. And I don't like Gussy." "Then I suppose I had better not get in the habit of using that disliked name." "Well I wouldn't hate you if you did." "That's good since your father hates me enough for the both of you." "I doubt that he hates you." "I don't know Gus, I've come to realize over the last several years that I wasn't a very good mother to your Dad." "Do you really want to mend fences with Dad?" "Yes but don't risk your relationship with him over me." "Don't worry I know most of Dad's tricks and I know how to work him. Don't tell him or Uncle Justin that I said that. While I can't promise that things will work out between the two of you I do have a plan on at least getting him to meet with you again. I just don't know how long it will take." "Gus don't do anything silly. But yes I would love to be able to talk with him and try to make up for all of the bad things I did or let happen to him." "Well the time has flown again I better get back home. I'll see your here next Sunday OK?" "Sure honey, feel free to call me anytime you want as well." "Thanks grandmom, good bye." Gus rode his bike as fast as possible so that he wouldn't be late for supper. After supper he went to the computer where he added the O'Reilly information to his overall file. He then had the program print out a family tree 4 generations back from himself. He then put the printout on top of his folder which he left beside the computer. He then went to bed. Wednesday night Justin was cleaning when he noticed that Gus hadn't put his material away. "That boy knows better than to leave his schoolwork out on a desk. Why didn't he put it away or take it with him?" Justin asked himself. But as he picked up the papers he noticed that the Kinney side of the family tree was just a full as the Peterson side. "Brian doesn't know this much about his family, how did that boy find it out? He wouldn't make it up and I doubt he found it on the Internet with so little to go on. Which family member did he find in order to get this information. What is the little scamp up to this time.? Why am I talking to myself?" Taking the material with him Justin went looking for his lover who he found watching TV. "Brian, Gus's up to something again." "What?" "I found his family tree information left out in the open." "So?" "You know that Gus wouldn't leave something that important out in the open if he didn't want us to find it." "Well what did you find then?" "He has just as much about your side of the family as he does for Lindsay. He has you, your parents and their parents and their parents. But I thought your father was Jack Kinney." "He was." "According to this his name was Shawn Michael." "I never heard anything except Jack, so that is news to me. You don't think Gus just made stuff up do you?" "No I don't. I think he managed to contact someone in your family. I also think that since he left it out where he knew we would find it he wanted us to find it." "Why?" "So that we would ask him how he found it out and then you would have to do something about it." "Justin you are losing me." "Brian we all told Gus not to push you about your family. He has found someone in your family, probably your mother, but instead of just telling you, which would be pushing, he set it up so you would find out and he wouldn't be pushing." "Is he really that devious?" If he thinks he's doing something for us then of course he's that devious. I brought him up well you know." "What is his goal then?" "To get you to talk to your mother, or possibly your sister." "I don't know if I'm ready for that Justin." "Obviously she has indicated to Gus that she wants to talk to you. At least consider the option. But we should play with Gus a little bit when he gets here Friday." "Justin you really are the devious one in the family." "As I've told you before how do you think I tamed the King of Liberty Avenue." "What should we do?" "I'll just put this file back where it should have been in the first place. Then he'll know that we found it but we won't mention it until he brings it up. Then we play it by ear and rotate him over the fire for a while. But Brian in the end you are going to have to meet with either your Mother or sister. Gus won't let you get out of that, he can play you almost as well as I can." "I suppose I should be upset with that comment Justin but it wouldn't do me any good since it's true." "Well we only use our powers for good Brian." "If Gus has found my mother and she wants to talk to me then I suppose I'll have to do so. But Justin I won't meet with her unless you are there as well." "You know you don't have to ask me Brian, I'm there for you no matter what." "Have I told you I love you Justin?" "Just about every day of my life since I met you under that lamp post. It's always nice to hear it in words though." Saturday morning Gus hunted up his Dad and found him in the back yard. "Dad have you seen my family tree folder?" "No Gus I haven't. Isn't it where you left it? You did put it away properly didn't you?" "I thought I left it by the computer, but it isn't there." "Now Gus you know better than to leave something important sitting out on the desk. I'm sure Justin put it away where you should have put it. He has gone to the supermarket, when he gets back we can ask him or you could just go look where you should have put it in the first place." "OK Dad I'll go look in the desk drawer." "If it isn't there then let me know and we will ask Justin when he gets home if he saw it." When Gus found the file in the drawer he knew full well what his Dads were up to. They think that they can play with my mind, well I'm not 6 years old anymore. I can play with their minds just as much but I don’t want to waste the time. I'll just take my medicine and get on with the plan. "Justin, Gus knows that we know." "How do you know?" "I just do, he took it too easily and didn't sputter at all. Forget about messing with him and let's just get it over." "If that is what you want Brian." "Yes, if I'm going to meet with Mom I want to get it over with a soon as possible. What would be the best way to handle that Justin?" "I think a small dinner here at the house would probably work best. Do we want to have Mel and Linds here as well?" "We'll have to ask Gus." "Gus." "Yes Uncle Justin." "We know that you are up to something and we figure that you know that we know so why don't we save some time and just get on with it." "Uncle Justin, what do you mean?" "We know that you found someone in your Dad's family that gave you a lot of family history. We know that you left the information out so that we could find it so that we would ask you about it. Is it your grandmother or aunt?" "Grandmom. She wants to mend fences with you Dad. I couldn’t just ask you since that would be pushing you about your family." "I told you so Brian." "Yes Justin we all know that you are the brains of this family. OK Gus I'll meet with my mother but I won’t promise you anymore than that." "Thanks Dad, she really wants to make things better between you before she dies." "What?" "It's just an expression Dad, I don't think she's dying right now." "Well we decided to have a family dinner here, at the house, with your grandmother, do you want to have your mothers as well?" "No I think just the four of us for the first time would be best. When do you want to have the dinner?" "Tonight would be best but tomorrow would work." "I'll go call and invite her." "OK Gus but don't expect too much." "I know Dad but at least there is a chance that you two can patch up your differences." "Brian just listen to what she has to say. Just start over with her. Gus likes her she must have mellowed some since you last spoke with her. How long has that been?" "10 years at least. But Justin there is a lot of bad history. She let my Dad do a lot to me before I was old and big enough to get away from him. Then she claimed that she protected me." "Well maybe she thought she did protect you and that was how she explained it to herself." "Justin I'll be good but I won't promise anything, even for Gus' sake." "He wouldn't want you to fake anything, and besides you'd never be able to get away with faking. You'll either be able to make up or you won't." "Will it be a problem for you to put a dinner together on such short notice?" "No problem we'll just have a steak fry. I'll bake some potatoes, boil some corn on the cob, and then grill T-bones at the last minute. We can eat outside since it's so nice out or in the dining room whatever you and Gus prefer." "Grandmom, this is Gus. Can you come to dinner tonight?" "Yes Gus I can do that. How did you manage this invitation?" "Well Dad and Uncle Justin figured out what I was up to and then I figured out that they had figured it out and to make a long story short they asked me what I wanted and I told them that you were interested in mending fences. So they asked me if I thought that you would come to a family dinner. Dad wouldn’t promise anything other than he'll talk to you." "What time should I be there?" "Is 5 too early? That would give everyone some time to talk before Uncle Justin and I have supper ready." "5 is fine, tell your Dad and Justin that I'll bring a chocolate chocolate chip cake. That used to be your Dad's favorite." "You don't have to bring anything but that sounds delicious. See you at 5. Love you grandmom." "Dad, Uncle Justin, Grandmom will be here around 5 and she'll bring dessert. It was her idea." "Chocolate chocolate chip cake right Gus?" "How did you know?" "That was about the only dessert she ever made." "Dad you promised to try." "Don't worry Gus I'll be on my best behavior. Should we eat outside or inside?" "Outside, I always like to picnic and good things usually come after we eat outside." "Well then you better make sure that the back yard is presentable for a guest." "OK Uncle Justin." "Mikey this is Brian." "Brian why are you whispering?" "Am I, I didn't mean to. Mikey I just agreed to have a picnic with my mother." "What?" "Gus found her somehow and has struck up a relationship with her. He then maneuvered us into the position of having to meet with her. I just don't know how I'm going to handle it. It has been over 10 years since I've seen any of my family. You know better than anyone how meeting with them usually ends up. I guess I'm calling to see if you will be home if I need to see you later tonight." "Brian if anything happens you have Justin there to take care of you. You don't need me." "Michael, Justin has never seen me fall apart and I'm not sure he could handle it." "First of all you aren't going to fall apart, your mother never bothered you that much. Even if you do Justin'll take care of you. Hell Gus'll take care of you. But I'll be over tomorrow to see how this plays out." "Are you sure Mikey?" "Justin's just as strong as I ever was and nothing you could do would harm the love he has for you. Just talk to your mother and try not to let the past hurt you so much. It's gone and nothing can change it but you can change the future for your entire family. Gus must like her if he went to the trouble to get the two of you in the same room." "What do you mean Michael?" "It doesn't take a genius to figure out that Gus played you into meeting with your mother after 10 years. Don’t forget I’ve known him just as long as you and Justin have known him." "Thanks Mikey. I still love you even if it never was the love you wanted from me." "Brian I got over that a long time ago. I love you too and I always will. I’ll be over tomorrow afternoon for the dirt." "There won't be any dirt since I've promised to be on my best behavior." "There'll be dirt hopefully it will be the good kind. Bye Brian see you tomorrow, give my love to Justin and Gus." "Bye Mikey." Gus had made sure that the backyard was presentable. It hadn't taken much effort. Like every part of the Kinney-Taylor household it was always in perfect order. Which is why he had known that his plan of leaving his project out on the desk would work. He did pick up some twigs that had fallen out of his tree house tree since the last time he had mowed the lawn. He also rearranged the patio furniture and made sure that the grill had plenty of gas. While Gus was working in the yard Justin made sure that he had everything necessary for the dinner and that the silverware, plates, and glasses he planned on using were spotless. Brian just wandered around the house trying to find something to do. While he was wandering aimlessly around the house he found himself thinking. I'm 41 years old and I'm worried about what my mother is going to think about my life. When did I start worrying about what other people think of me. I suppose when I admitted that I cared, no loved, Justin with all of my heart. Justin and Gus both try to make everyone around them happy. Gus wants my mother to be happy. Gus wants me to be happy. I just hope that the two of us together can get past our past and make Gus happy. Eventually the doorbell rang and Gus raced to the door to let his grandmom in. "Grandmom come in, that sure is a big cake. You know that there are only the 4 of us?" "Yes sweetheart but this is the size my recipe makes and I was never a good enough cook to figure out how to reduce the recipe without ruining the taste. Don't worry I've never had one last long enough to go stale." "Dad and Uncle Justin are in the living room, let me take the cake and I'll take you there and then take it to the kitchen. We're planning on eating on the patio, I hope that is OK with you." "Sounds fine Gus, I always liked to picnic." "Me too." "Grandmom this is Uncle Justin." "Hello Justin, I'm sorry I was so rude to you the previous time we met." "No problem Mrs. Kinney that was a long time ago and very awkward for you as well." "Call me Joan for now Justin." "Sure Joan." "Well Brian I was certainly surprised when a blond version of you appeared at my door a few weeks ago. I'm so sorry that I let things get so out of hand that you weren't comfortable letting me know that I had another grandson." "I'm sorry about that Mom but I wasn't going to risk Gus getting hurt." "Was I really that bad?" "Yes, at least that's the way I remember it. Or the way I wanted to remember it. But in the years since we last talked I've grown up a lot, thanks to Justin, and I realize that maybe I blamed you for things you weren't responsible for or had no control over. But there is no doubt that we both are to blame for our problems getting along with each other." "Well Brian I hope that we're able to become closer than we ever were for Gus' sake. He's a remarkable young man, much more so than his cousins were at his age or now for that matter." "How are those boys? I haven't seen them or Claire either since I last saw you. I just didn’t want to admit that I had a family." "I know how you always felt about aging so I hope it won't bother you too much to know that you are a great uncle." "What?" "Yes your oldest nephew got his girl friend pregnant over a year ago. They actually got married and seem to be reasonably happy. So you have a grandniece, Jessica Marie." "How is Claire handling being a grandmother?" "No better than she handled being a wife and mother. Still cries buckets of tears at the slightest provocation." "Joan, Brian I had better go find Gus and start supper, how do you like your steak cooked Joan?" "Medium rare is fine Justin." "Well that makes both of them sneaking away to leave us alone." "What do you mean Brian?" "Well Gus normally would have been back here long ago, so he stayed away on purpose. Justin has everything but the steaks ready and he'll grill them after we go outside so he has left us alone as well. So I suppose we had better use the time they have given us." "Brian I'm truly sorry for all of the hurt I caused you. The Reverend Tom, before he was transferred to Philadelphia, was able to make me see how I had used my beliefs to hide from my actions and feelings. All I can say in my defense is that I did what I thought was right at the time. Obviously in hind sight I was terribly wrong. I should have left your father but that just wasn't something that was done. I shouldn't have taken to drinking to cover up the pain of the life I was leading. I should have been a much better mother to you and Claire. I shouldn't have blamed you for the pain that your father inflicted on the family. It was easier just to pretend that I protected you all of the time when I knew full well that I didn't. Your father didn't want to be a family man but my father made him marry me when I got pregnant with Claire. Jack never forgave me for that, even though he was responsible, then when I refused to abort you he really became frustrated. I always wondered why he just didn't abandon us since he knew that we could never be divorced. For whatever reasons he had he took most of his frustration out on you. I kidded myself that I was able to divert it to me but I was just being foolish. I should have been happy when you started spending so much time at the Novotny's but instead I worried what the neighbors would think. I should have been able to admit how bad things were when you went off to Penn State and we almost never saw you again. Then when you made an effort to get back into my life I had to throw it away by being intolerant about who you are. I had never admitted to myself that you were gay, but I knew deep down that you were. After all you were always good looking and you became very successful in the business world yet you never had a woman in your life. Then there were too many articles in the papers and stories on the television about you after Justin was bashed for me not to know for sure. But I ignored them and denied them to anyone who brought it up to me. If I had been any kind of real mother I should have been there to help you get through that horrible time in both of your lives. Instead I just ignored the idea that my son could be a queer in love with a boy. Then that day when I came to your loft and you were partially dressed and Justin came from your bedroom partially dressed I couldn't ignore the facts anymore. Of course I did the wrong thing and condemned you to hell because of what God made you to be. Can you ever forgive me for that Brian?" "I don't know but I hope so. I know that it will make both Justin and Gus very happy if we can have a reasonable relationship as son and mother." "Just the small time I have spent with Gus and the even smaller time with Justin really makes me regret that we have been so apart that you couldn't include me in your life. They're both obviously wonderful human beings that should have been in my life. I hope that they can be in my life as well as you. But Brian I will abide by whatever you decide." "Mom we will have to play it by ear. I can only promise to try to forget the past. We can have a new relationship starting from today. Justin and Gus'll both be very happy to have you in their lives. Justin's always trying to make the people around him happy. Gus's the spitting image of Justin in every way, except for looking like me, and he tries to make everyone around him happy as well. He got us together but in such a way that I didn't feel pressured. You are right he's a wonderful boy and I shouldn't have kept him out of your life. He needs to be around more family, especially straight family." "What do you mean by that Brian?" "Gus's sure that he'll be gay. What else would he think, he has a gay father, a gay mother and practically everyone in his personal life is gay. I don't care whether he's gay or straight just that he's happy. But I've never figured out how to make him believe that." "Just tell him." "Oh I've done that but I don't think it sunk in. He knows that he's going to be gay so that is what he believes. But Mom you do have to promise me that you won't say or do anything around Gus this is anti-gay. Let him get to know his family and see how he fits in." "Don't worry about that Brian, I learned my lesson long ago when I lost contact with my son because of my prejudices. The Reverend Tom was able to get through to me that I was using my beliefs to hide from my failures. That we all are what we're and that we have to live our lives based on who and what we are. That it certainly doesn't help when close minded people forbid us to be who we are. I'm sorry Brian that I behaved that way. I'm sure that if you had told me when you were younger I really would have hurt you even more than I did when you told me. I would have done everything in my power to cure you." "Well we're going to have to get past all of that. Justin and Gus aren't going to let us not get along so we just as well do it on our own." "Reverend Tom admitted the truth to me about his sexuality, that bravery on his part helped me to understand what he was telling me. He told me that as a mother I had to right to worry about your actions as a gay man, just like I can worry about Claire's actions as a straight woman, but not the right to worry that you were a gay man. After tonight I know that I don’t have to worry about your actions anymore either. I'll continue to pray for you as well as Gus and Justin. Don’t get that look Brian I pray for everyone I love." "Dad it's time you and grandmom come outside, Uncle Justin's almost ready to serve supper." "OK Gus you conniving little scamp we're coming." "Dad!" "Don't look so innocent Sonnyboy you know full well what you have been up to these last several weeks." "OK I admit it I had to get you back together. I had to get family tree information from someone and who better than a loving family member." With a big grin on his face Gus raced to the patio. Brian and Joan followed arm in arm at a much more sedate pace. "Justin this meal was fantastic. How did you come up with corn on the cob this good at this time of the year?" "Well Joan, Gus and I froze 3 bushels last June. I'll get you several bags out of the freezer before you go home." "Justin there is only me, I'm sure one bag will last me quite a while." "Sure I forget how much Gussy eats, if we don't watch him he'll only eat corn. What is your record Gus?" "Uncle Justin don't give away all of my secrets. But I did eat 8 ears on the Fourth of July, of course that was spread out over the entire day." "Gus you're in for a treat, Mom's chocolate chocolate chip cake will be the perfect finish for this meal." "Thank you Brian." "Can we have ice cream too." "Sure Gus go get the vanilla out of the pantry freezer." "Thanks Dad." "Brian I've had a wonderful time. I'm so sorry that we had to waste so much time. Justin you have done wonders for my son, how can I ever thank you?" "Just stay a part of our family. Gus go get your grandmom a bag of corn." "Brian, next time we can eat at my house and I'll have Claire and her boys there to meet Gus and Justin. You all can meet your grandniece as well." "Grandniece, Brian you really are getting old." "Justin don't push it." "Grandmom here is your corn, all you have to do is take out the number of ears you want and reseal the bag. Uncle Justin always cooks at least 3 for me. Dad is a wimp, he'll only eat one." "Gus I would send you to your bed without supper except we've already eaten supper. What can I do?" "Just take it the way it was meant, Dad." "Don't I always?" "Dad I love you." "I know Sonnyboy, it's late you had better go get ready for bed. I'll see your grandmom out." "Goodnight grandmom, thanks for coming." "Goodnight Gus, I had a wonderful time. Thank you for mending the fences between Brian and me." "Goodnight Joan, I'll just clean up. I look forward to seeing you again." Brian escorted his mother to her car. "Brian, I truly am sorry for all the pain I caused you. It's very clear to me that you and Justin truly love each other. You two and his mothers have raised an extraordinary son. But you have to promise me one thing." "What is that?" "When the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania comes to its senses and legalizes gay marriage you have to ask that wonderful young man to become yours. As far as I'm concerned the two of you're married in the eyes of God. So when it becomes possible; marry in the eyes of the state. Who would have thought that I would ever think such a thing. But true love is obvious when one doesn't go out of their way to not see it. I really regret that I haven't known Justin before this, since in just this one night he has proven that he's a better son-in-law than either of Claire's ex-husbands ever were." "Mom you have taken my breath away. I'll consider what you ask but I can't promise anything. Justin and I don't need a piece of paper from Pennsylvania to validate our relationship. I don't know what I would do without him. I certainly wouldn't be the man I'm now if he wasn't in my life. September 8, 2000 is the most important day of my life. It's the day both Justin and Gus entered it and every day since the two have made my life better. Even those days when I actively fought to keep them out of my life. I regret that I didn't try to mend the fences between us and that it took a twelve year old boy to get us back together. Let us know when you have the reunion set, we will be there. I'll try to get along with Claire." "Goodnight Son." "Goodnight Mom." Brian returned to the house where he found his lover in his son's room. "OK Augustus Brian Peterson-Marcus you lucked out. Everything worked out perfectly. I would tell you not to try anymore plans but you have way too much Justin Taylor in you for that to ever happen." "Oh Dad I just did what I had to do to make everyone happy." "Just remember Sonnyboy that every plan doesn't turn out the way you want it to. Someday one of your plans will fail and you will have to deal with the problems that causes." "Brian we know that you're just as happy as we are that you and your mother are friendly again." "Justin we're never this friendly before, but yes it feels great to have a mother again. Have I told you lately that I love you?" "You tell me every day, one way or the other. I love you too Brian Shawn Kinney." "Gus you have to edit that family tree before anyone else sees it." "Why Dad?" "Because I don't want anyone else knowing that I'm B. S. Kinney."