Lois and Carolyn, thanks for the beta...you’re the greatest!
I would also like to thank everyone who previewed the chapters for me.
Author's comment: Sorry for the posting delay. I had to go off and write a few additional chapters that I felt the story needed. Thanks for your patience.
Chapter 18 – Let’s Have Lunch
Early Friday Afternoon…(Day 61)
“Michael, aren’t you going to join Teddy and me for lunch?” Emmett asked as he swirled into the comic book store.
“Afraid not, Em, I’ve got a lot to do today,” Michael responded, trying to focus on the papers in front of him and failing miserably. “I’ve got a lot on my mind,” he added softly.
“What’s going on, Sweetie? You don’t look too good.”
“How could SHE do it, Em? How could she lie to me?” Michael finally asked, without offering any background information or any other explanation.
“Michael, what are you talking about? Who lied to you?” Emmett cautiously asked.
“Haven’t you talked to my mother?”
“No, I’ve been at Drew’s. I just dropped him off at the airport. Now are you going to tell me what’s going on?” Emmett demanded.
Michael took a deep breath and relayed everything to Emmett. Michael confirmed that Divina Devore, world famous drag queen, was his father. Then Michael continued to rant about the fact that Debbie had lied to him his whole life.
Emmett was the calm voice of reason. “Michael I heard everything that you just told me. You’ve got to admit that there’s nothing here that you didn’t know or at least suspected four years ago. The only difference is that now you know the truth. You really are ‘half Italian and half drag queen’ just as you always suspected,” Em reminded him with a smile.
Michael let out a deep sigh. He knew that Emmett was right. “Then why do I feel so betrayed?”
“What do you mean?”
“Everybody has betrayed me. Brian broke his lifelong promise. Ben ignored his commitment to me and left. My mother was always supposed to be there for me. And now she betrayed me too, with a lifetime of lies.”
“Honey, I know that you have had a lot of changes to deal with these last few weeks. But there are certain realities that you’re just going to have to find some way to come to terms with. Brian and Justin are legally a couple forever. That’s not going to change, so whatever promises you THINK that Brian once made…they don’t matter anymore. You’ve got to move on,” Emmett suggested. “I’m sure that Brian will tell you the same thing.”
“He did….” Michael quietly revealed. “He stopped by a few days ago, and we had a chance to talk. And you’re right, he did tell me that.”
“So then you know that none of that matters anymore?” Emmett continued to push, hoping that Michael would see his point.
Michael refused to let go and just moved on to his next issue.
“And Ben’s gone...now I’m all alone. He didn’t even stop to remember his commitment to me when he packed up and left. How can he so easily forget that we’re married?”
“Michael, Ben just got tired. You had complained and whined about Brian and Justin for two days. We all know that Ben is a patient man, but Sweetie he obviously has his limits. And what you did was really extreme. You demanded that Brian leave Justin and be there for you. Ben just reached a point where he couldn’t take it any more.”
“I want Ben back, Em. I asked Brian to help, but he said that there was nothing he could do. So what am I supposed to do now?”
“Give Ben some time. But Michael, you’ve got to change how you think about Ben and his illness. You made it seem like you couldn’t wait for him to die so that you could be with Brian. I’m sure Ben saw all that as the ultimate betrayal. It’s going to take a long time for him to get over this.”
“But I’ve been there for him. He knows that I love him. He knows that I want him and Hunter and me to be a real family with JR. He has to know.”
“I’m sure he does. But when you’re dealing with all the things that Ben is…sometimes love isn’t enough. Sometimes actions just get to be too much. That’s what I think happened,” Emmett suggested. “For the moment, there is nothing that you can do about Ben either. I don’t know if it’s possible to get him back. But either way, you have to find a way to go on living…just like you did after your breakup with David. I know that things seem hard for you right now, but you’re going to survive this too. You just have to give yourself some time,” he reiterated.
Once again, Michael just moved on to his next gripe.
“How am I going to survive all this when now I know that my mother has been lying to me all these years?” Michael argued.
“Michael, parents aren’t perfect. Think of everything that Debbie has done for you. Weigh that against her lie. Then, you’re going to have to find a way to forgive Debbie. From what you’ve told me, she didn’t keep the truth from you to hurt you. She told you a lie back when you were a baby because she thought it was the right thing to do. She was only 17. Think back to when you were 17. Think of some of the things from back then that you regret now. Think about the fact that you had Brian. She had no one to guide her. She was alone with a baby to care for. She believed that what she did was right,” Emmett argued.
“I’m NEVER going to forgive her! First she sides with Brian and Justin instead of me. Then I find out she’s lied to me my entire life. What’s the point?”
“The point is that no matter what happened in the past, you’ve found out that you have a living, breathing father. This is something that you’ve always dreamed about. You’re going to have to focus on that. You would have never had a chance for that unless Debbie finally told you the truth.” Emmett argued. “You know that Debbie could have simply let the lie continue. Give yourself some time to adjust to everything!”
Michael finally sighed. He really wanted to believe what Emmett was telling him. It was just that at this moment, he was consumed with so much anger and hurt that he just couldn’t grasp anything more.
“I know that you’re probably right,” Michael finally said with a deep sigh, even if he didn’t truly believe things yet. “The only good news I’ve had lately is that Mel and Linds are coming here tonight, so I’ll get to spend time with my little Honeybunch,” he gushed.
“See, as my Aunt Lula used to say, every dark cloud has a silver lining,” Emmett said with a smile.
“Your Aunt Lula huh?” Michael asked with a smile. “She seems to have something to say about everything,” he teased.
“Yes, if it hadn’t been for her and her sayings, I don’t think that I would have survived in Hazlehurst.”
“Hazlehurst is a long way away. You’re here now. How are things with Drew?” Michael finally decided to focus on something other than his problems of the moment.
“He had to go out of town again, but we got to spend some time together. And he’ll be back in a few days.”
“That’s good.”
Emmett noticed the change in Michael’s tone, so he decided once again to try to coax him to get something to eat.
“So are you going to join Teddy and me for lunch?” Emmett finally asked.
“No, I don’t think so. Why don’t you go ahead? I’ll just grab something to eat a little later. I’m just not ready to run into Ma at the Diner yet.”
“You do realize that you can’t avoid Debbie!” Emmett said as he turned to leave.
Michael merely sighed and nodded as he tried to accept the inevitable.
***
Emmett joined Ted at the Diner in their usual booth.
“Em, what took you so long? I thought that you might have forgotten that we’re having lunch together. Where’s Michael?” Ted immediately asked.
“I just saw him before I came here. He’s really upset, Teddy. He still hasn’t gotten over Brian and Justin yet. Then with Ben leaving too. Well…. you know.”
“Yes, I do. But it’s been almost two weeks. I’m not sure that he’s even trying to deal with the new reality of things…you know, he’s still trying to change things back to some long forgotten memory that never really existed. I’m sure you know what I mean…you’ve talked to him,” Ted pointed out.
“But Teddy, this is more than just about Brian and Justin or even about Ben,” Emmett revealed. He figured that now was the time to bring Ted up to date on things happening.
“Michael just found out that Debbie has been lying to him his whole life when she told him that his father died in the war. It turns out his father is very much alive. It also turns out that Divina Devore is his father,” he calmly relayed as he reached for a menu. “Now, let me see, what am I in the mood for? What will I have for lunch?”
Ted reached over and placed his hands on the menu, forcing Emmett to lower it and look at him. Ted now had Emmett’s undivided attention.
“You’re not going to drop a bombshell like that and then calmly order lunch…start talking, Em!” Ted insisted.
Emmett tried to weasel out of telling Ted anything.
Then he finally relented and told Ted everything that he knew…starting with four years ago up to this moment… the whole story.
Ted listened attentively to all the details that Emmett revealed. As the story unfolded, he could only imagine what Michael must be feeling. It was a lot for someone to have to have to deal with…even if he had brought a lot of this on himself. But the revelations about Divina Devore being his father was something that Ted never expected, and it was just one more thing for Michael to cope with.
“We all need to be there for him…especially now,” Ted finally said.
“Mel and Linds and the kids are coming into town, so Michael will be distracted by JR for a while. But no matter what, he’s going to have to eventually find a way to deal with Debbie,” Emmett whispered.
“And he’s not ready to go there yet, is he?”
“Not by a long shot. And I guess since Betty took our order, instead of Debbie, things aren’t great back at the house either. You’ve got to remember that no matter what she’s done, Michael has always been the center of her world,” Emmett pointed out. “I’m sure that she must be as upset as Michael is,” he added.
“I guess that you haven’t seen Debbie yet?”
“No, but I think after lunch I will. I know that she must be really upset. I bet Carl is beside himself trying to handle everything.” Emmett continued. “I just don’t know what’s going to happen?”
“Call me when you find out anything! I’ll be at the office. We’re already working overtime, but with Brian in town any chance for things to slow down are completely out of the question. All bets are off…especially with Justin working in his studio.”
“Oh my goodness, if Brian has you working like this…and Mel and Linds are bringing Gus here. What’s Brian going to do? You know how much Gus adores Justin.”
“I have no idea,” Ted volunteered with a laugh.
“Of course you have no idea,” a voice said. “Why should today be any different?”
While Ted and Emmett had been engrossed in conversation, Brian had approached their booth and waited for the just the right moment to make his presence known. He had carefully chosen this moment to pick on Ted, his favorite target.
“Brian, what are you doing here?” Emmett asked with glee.
“Even though I’m in Pittsburgh, I still have to eat! Move over, Theodore,” Brian said as he unceremoniously pushed Ted further into the booth. “So Emmy Lou, what’s the latest gossip?”
Before Emmett could answer, Betty returned with their order. She served Emmett and Ted. Then turned to Brian and asked, “What can I get you?”
“Turkey on whole grain…hold the mayo,” Ted and Emmett said in unison.
Brian looked over at Ted and Emmett incredulously. They innocently looked back at him and smiled. Brian finally smiled. “So I’m that predictable, am I?” he nodded at Betty, confirming the order.
She left to put in the order while Brian turned his attention back to annoying his lunch companions. “So how’s your tuna sandwich, Theodore?” Brian asked to make a point, since Ted frequently ordered the same lunch too. He wanted to make sure that point wasn’t lost on Ted and Emmett.
“Brian, will you leave Teddy alone?” Emmett insisted.
“Why should I? Justin’s not here to interfere, so I obviously have free range,” Brian smirked. “Tormenting Theodore is rather high on my To Do List today.”
“What have you done with Justin, by the way? I haven’t seen him for a few days,” Emmett complained.
“And you won’t! He’s locked away, painting in his studio,” Brian confidently suggested. “I’ve promised to feed him lemon bars if he stays put. So far, that seems to be working.”
Ted and Emmett tried to hide their smiles
Betty returned with Brian’s sandwich, and for a moment, the table was silent. When she left, the conversation continued once again.
“So what were you two plotting when I came in?” Brian asked, before taking a bite of his sandwich.
“We were talking about Michael,” Emmett revealed. “Have you talked to him?”
“Not for a few days. What’s going on with Mikey?”
Emmett and Ted, in tag team fashion, brought Brian up date on the story of Michael and the truth about Divina Devore being his father. Emmett admitted that Debbie had confirmed everything to Michael earlier today.
Ted and Emmett noticed that Brian seem to casually continue eating his sandwich. He didn’t seem surprised by any of this.
“You knew about this didn’t you?” Emmett accused.
“Yeah,” Brian easily admitted. “So what’s the problem?”
“And do you remember what happened the last time there was trouble like this between Michael and Debbie?” Ted reminded him. “Surely, you remember our cozy night in the slammer?”
“That was just because Michael was involved with Ben, and Debbie was seeing Horvath. It all blew over rather quickly. They all eventually settled down to be one happy family,” Brian reminded them.
“But now Michael’s so upset that he wouldn’t even have lunch with us because he didn’t want to run into Debbie,” Emmett pointed out.
“Mikey’s had four years to deal with this. Oh, I’m sure that he’ll rant and rave about things. He’ll have his drama queen moment, and then things will get back to normal. He’ll eventually figure out how he’s going to deal with everything,” Brian said confidently.
“Well, at least he’ll be busy with JR for a few days, and…” Emmett stopped mid- sentence, continuing to stare forward.
“What’s wrong?” Ted asked, noticing the interrupted conversation.
Emmett merely nodded and everyone turned to follow his line of sight.
They all saw Ben standing at the counter. Emmett finally waved, and Ben walked over to say hello to everyone.
“Hi Ben.” Emmett said. “How’s it going?”
“One day at a time,” Ben said quietly. Then Ben noticed that Brian was at the table.
Ben was surprised to see him since no one had mentioned that he was in town. They warmly greeted each other, like always. And in that moment, Ben confirmed to himself that his problems with Michael were merely between him and Michael and didn’t extend to any one else…including Brian. He found this very enlightening somehow.
“You know how it is, Ben. I can’t stay away too long, or Theodore here will run amuck with my company,” Brian smirked.
“And Justin?” Ben asked.
“He’s at the house, painting. Immortalizing more of my body parts on canvas for posterity,” Brian boasted, while Ted and Emmett couldn’t resist, rolling their eyes at the comment.
“I don’t know,” Ted interrupted, finding the perfect chance to annoy Brian, “Gus will be in town. You might have tough competition as Justin’s favorite model.”
“Melanie and Lindsay are coming into town tonight,” Emmett whispered as an aside to Ben, realizing that he might not have been told about their visit yet.
“Oh….” Ben quietly said, carefully noting the news.
“Competition…not a problem…I’ve taken care of everything,” Brian said with a satisfied smile. You see…Gus will be assisting me at Kinnetik this weekend. That should nip this alternate model thing in the bud,” he continued to gloat.
Even Ben had to smile at Brian’s reaction. “I see that you have your strategy all worked out,” Ben teased. “Although, I don’t think that you have too much to worry about. Justin has always seemed to be able to paint your parts from memory, so he doesn’t really need you to model at all.”
“Exactly,” Brian affirmed with a satisfied smile.
Just then, Betty motioned to Ben that his order was ready.
“My order is ready…I have to go,” Ben said with a smile. “Bye...”
“Good seeing you, Ben,” Brian added.
And in that moment, Ben understood that he was still a member of the family.
“Look at the time,” Emmett said. “I have to go. I want to check in on Debbie, and I still have a million things to do today.”
“But Em, didn’t you see her this morning?” Brian asked.
“I was at Drew’s last night when everything must have happened. Let me go! I’ll talk to you later, Teddy,” Emmett said, scooting out of the booth, leaving Ted and Brian alone.
“Well, Theodore?” Brian said, looking at Ted with one eyebrow raised.
“Okay, I know it’s time to go back to the office,” Ted nervously explained. “But can we at least check on Michael before we go back to work? He missed lunch. Maybe we should take him a sandwich or something.”
“I think that can be arranged,” Brian said with a smile, totally enjoying, watching Ted squirm.