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According to the Buddhist doctrine of Karma, one is not always compelled by an ‘iron necessity’ for Karma is neither fate, nor predestination imposed upon us by some mysterious unknown power to which we much helplessly submit ourselves. It is one’s own doing reacting on oneself, and so one has the possibility to divert the course of one’s Karma to some extent. How far one diverts it depends on oneself.
Chapter 14
Gus was in the studio finishing up the painting that he had started two days ago. He stepped back to look at it from afar and liked what he saw. He hoped that Justin would too.
Justin was pretty ruthless when it came to critiquing his work, ruthless in a very constructive, positive way. Gus knew that Justin only wanted him to do his best and he expected him to improve with each of his paintings. He critiqued his work the way he knew the art world would; dissecting every stroke, every color application, every curve. He did it with dispassionate eyes and knowledge of technique and style, but with kindness, never insulting or condescending in any way. He wanted Gus to constantly apply himself, to always do his best work. Gus was a wonderful pupil and he was easy to work with because he had a natural talent and he quickly absorbed whatever he was taught.
Gus stood back and looked at the painting, wondering where Justin was. He guessed he was still down with Brian trying to get him comfortable, no easy task after all the beer he drank last night.
It was actually pretty funny now that he thought about it. He forgot sometimes how dramatic Brian could get. Most of the time he was a self-assured business man, calm and intelligent, seeming to have his act together, but once in a while the drama queen would peek through, reminding Gus that there was a side to Brian that was very emotional; a side he rarely showed anyone except for Justin and last night, Gus.
He was so happy that the fight had ended before it even began. The thought of refereeing a fight between them was not what he wanted to do on this vacation. It was different now that he was older. He was much more aware of the dynamic between his parents. He didn’t like it when something happened to upset the equilibrium.
He wondered if the problem that caused the binging last night was anything major. He had never seen Brian and Justin really angry at each other; they always seemed to get along. He was used to fights between his two Moms, those carried on for a few days, but his fathers rarely ever fought in front of him. They had disagreements and a few times he’d heard voices raised, but nothing significant ever came of it.
He hoped that Brian would feel better in a few hours because he really needed to talk to him. And he wanted him to be clear-headed so that he wouldn’t over react and get pissed.
The bottom line was that he was bored. Bored out of his mind and he needed to find something to do. He was hoping he could get his parents to agree to let his best friend fly out and spend a few weeks with him. He wanted someone his own age to be with, someone who he was familiar with and who wouldn’t mind the fact that they lived out of the city, in the country practically, with not much to entertain themselves with.
All the fun things that used to occupy him in years past were now no longer able to sustain his interest. He could only play video games for so long and swimming and watching movies got old after a while. The truth was he missed all his friends and he missed his girlfriend Ashley, especially. They talked on the phone everyday but he would much rather have her here with him.
Gus was aware that he had to find something to occupy himself with since going back to Canada was not really an option. Part of the agreement between Lindsay and Brian was that he would spend every Summer with his fathers here in Pittsburgh and he knew that wasn’t about to change because he was growing up and was bored.
He moved over to the desk at the corner of the studio and picked up the phone to dial Austin.
“Hey,” he said, as Austin picked up. “What’re you doing?”
“Nothing! Watching TV and trying to decide what to do today.”
“Sounds about as exciting as my day so far. This sucks doesn’t it?”
“Totally. Have you talked to them yet?”
“No, but I will today for sure. You think your parents are going to be okay with this?” Gus asked.
“Are you kidding? They’ll jump at the chance to be rid of me for a few weeks. Then they won’t have to worry about what I’m doing home alone.”
“Okay, we’ll call later. Are you sure they’re going to be home tonight?”
“I think so,” Austin answered. “It’s the weekend, so unless they have any emergencies there shouldn’t be any patients lined up waiting for them.”
“Fine,” Gus answered. “Just make sure you’re around so that you pick up the phone when we call, okay?”
“Okay, Gus.”
“Later,” Gus said.
“Later,” Austin answered.
Gus put the phone down and hoped again that his parents would agree to their plan. Austin was just as bored as he was and there was no sense in burning up the phone lines and spending money on long distance when he could very well just come and visit. Austin’s parents were physicians and usually had very little time to spend at home with their child. It had been a wonderful day for them when Lindsay and Melanie moved in a few houses down the street and had brought Gus over to play with their son. The boys had hit it off instantly and were inseparable ever since. The Lehighs had been comfortable with the relationship from the beginning, becoming close friends with Mel and Linds, in spite of the difference in sexual preferences. The bottom line was they were just parents trying to do the best for their kids and that alone was enough of a bond.
Gus looked at the clock on the wall above the door and realized it was almost eleven and he hadn’t eaten anything since he woke up. He was starving! He headed downstairs toward the kitchen to see what he could find.
When he got there he was relieved to find the coffee pot on. ‘D’ must have made it earlier, he thought to himself. He went over to the cupboard above the coffee machine and pulled out a mug. He poured himself some coffee then dumped a healthy amount of sugar into it and he moved over to the fridge to find the cream. He poured some into his coffee and he stood there surveying the contents trying to find something to eat. He pulled out the box of pizza that was left over from the other night and brought it to the table. He loved cold pizza for breakfast and he began to demolish the leftovers.
As he was finishing up, Justin came into the kitchen carrying Brian’s empty glass.
“Hey Gus, I didn’t know you were down here. Are you done in the studio?”
“Pretty much. I just need you to do the final check, then I’ll be done.”
“I’ll look at it in a minute. I just came to get some coffee for your Dad.”
“Is he better?” Gus asked.
“Yeah, his headache is just about gone. He should be back to normal in another hour or so.”
“Good,” Gus said. “The thought of listening to him bitch all day is not my idea of fun.”
“Well, keep your voice down and you won’t have to listen to him bitch,” Justin said. “Everything is louder and brighter when you’re hung over.”
He ruffled Gus’ hair as he walked past him to get some coffee for himself, then he sat down at the table with him, sipping at his cup.
“So what was the fight about, ‘D’, or would you rather not talk about it?”
Justin looked at Gus, surprised that he would ask that question. He really was growing up, Justin thought to himself. A few months ago he would have ignored this whole incident, not thinking much about it. The fact that he was asking meant that he worried about their relationship and its effect on his life.
“It was just a misunderstanding, Gus, nothing you need to worry about.”
“Must have been pretty serious for him to get so upset,” Gus said.
“It’s just one of those things that happen in a relationship sometimes. Don’t worry about it, okay? Everything is fine between us.”
“Okay, if you say so,” Gus said, chewing slowly on the last slice of pizza, watching Justin intently to make sure he was telling the truth.
“Do you want to have dinner at Daphne and Alex’s tonight? They invited us over,” Justin asked.
“No, I don’t think so. Who else will be there?”
“No one, just us,” Justin answered.
“No,” Gus said, sounding dejected.
“Is anything wrong, Gus?” Justin asked.
“No. Not really…yes,” he hesitated.
Justin looked at him with concern. “What is it Gus? You’re not worried about your Dad are you? He’ll be fine.”
“No, that’s not it, ‘D’,” Gus said.
“Then what,” Justin asked, grabbing Gus’ hand. “Tell me.”
“I’m kind of bored, ‘DJ’. I was hoping that maybe you and Dad would let me have a friend over, to stay and keep me company.”
“Of course you can have a friend over, who did you want to call?”
“Austin.”
“Austin? But he’s in Toronto. You think his parents will let him come this far and stay for a few weeks?”
“I’m pretty sure they will. You think Dad will agree?”
“Of course,” Justin said. “He wants you to be happy here and if having a friend with you will do that, then that’s what we’ll do, okay?”
“Will you ask him then? We can call Austin’s parents later on; they should be home before you go out to dinner.”
“That’s fine, Gus. I’ll talk to your Dad and we’ll plan on calling later,” Justin said.
“Thanks,” Gus said. He stood up to leave the kitchen but just before he left he turned back around and gave Justin a hug and a kiss.
“I love you, ‘D’, you’re the best!”
Justin put his hand up to Gus’ cheek and said, “Love you too, son.”
Gus made his way back up the stairs and headed to the studio. He went straight to the phone and called Austin back to tell him about his conversation with Justin. Both boys were overjoyed that the plans so far were taking shape the way they wanted.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Justin walked into their bedroom in time to see Brian’s rear-end disappear into the bathroom. He looked around to see if there was anything that he needed to pick up but was pleasantly surprised that Gus had done it all last night. He supposed that his neatness came from being raised in an all-female household. That or he had a bit of his father’s anal tendencies when it came to picking up.
Justin moved over to the bathroom and leaned against the door frame, watching Brian standing under the spray of water as it beat down on him. The heat from the almost unbearably hot water was starting to steam up the glass enclosure as Brian stood there, oblivious to the temperature. He had his eyes closed and his mouth was slightly open as the water cascaded down his body. Justin loved watching Brian in the shower. He was the only person Justin knew who could look beautiful, wet or dry. He never tired of watching him like that; he could paint him in that pose over and over again and still draw inspiration from this same scene.
“Are you just going to stand there watching me or are you going to come in and help me do my hair?” Brian asked, sensing Justin’s presence.
“I’m just watching. I’ve already had a shower.”
“Well, come have another one. I’m too tired to move. I need you to help me,” Brian said.
“I know you want me in there for reasons other than your hair,” Justin said as he watched Brian’s body react to his statement.
“And what’s wrong with that? You know how I feel about my morning ritual. I can’t get by without my morning Sunshine.”
“No, Brian, I don’t want to get sidetracked. Hurry up and get done with your shower. I need to talk to you about Gus.”
“Aw, come on Justin, I need your undivided attention for just a few minutes. I promise to make it worth your while.” He opened the door of the shower stall, stepped outside, grabbed Justin’s hand and dragged him in behind him with all his clothes on.
“You are fucking unbelievable!” Justin said, while Brian proceeded to take his T-shirt off, and then pull his shorts down.
“I know,” Brian said, smiling, rubbing his hands through Justin’s now very wet hair. “I am.”
“I thought booze was supposed to make you soft?” Justin said.
“If that were true, Sunshine, you would have walked out of my life years ago.” Brian grabbed Justin’s hand and placed it on his dick. “Does that feel soft to you?”
Justin laughed as he too reacted to Brian’s very insistent hands. The man never took no for an answer, and even though sex was the last thing on Justin’s mind five minutes ago, it was now very much at the forefront of his brain.
He groaned as Brian toyed with him, rubbing his hands up and down his body, skimming his dick, touching him lightly then pulling away, leaving him aching for more. He grabbed Brian’s hand and placed it firmly on his hardness kissing him as he did so. The water beat down on them, intensifying the heat that was now radiating out from their bodies. Justin looked down and watched as Brian took hold of his dick, curling his hand around it. He watched Brian playing with his cock as the water ran down his body in little rivulets, down his stomach, past the thin line of soft blond hair that lead straight to his cock which was being ministered to so nicely by his very persistent partner. Justin turned around and positioned himself so that Brian now had easy access to his ass which is what he had wanted in the first place. He felt Brian pulling him closer, never letting go of his dick, while he inched his penis into Justin’s very tight, yet always accommodating opening. He moved slowly, easing himself in, not wanting to hurt him. There was some resistance, but Justin kept moving back and forth, helping him along, reaching behind him to pull Brian’s body closer. Finally, Brian broke through the tight ring and he sighed with pleasure as Justin’s body opened to accommodate him. He bent down and nipped at Justin’s shoulder, sucking on his skin, marking it with red spots all over, moving up his neck, alternately licking and sucking, moaning the entire time while his right hand kept up its steady rhythm.
This was their morning ritual, as important to them as any cup of coffee or egg McMuffin. This was the time when they reconnected after a long night of sleep, a private moment that had started when Justin was seventeen and Brian had stepped into the shower stall that very first morning after he had taken his virginity. It was as much a part of their morning as any alarm clock going off and usually was a good indicator of how the rest of the day would play out.
Within minutes Justin released, hot and pulsing into Brian’s hand. He felt Brian coming inside him, felt the hot liquid as it rushed into him while Brian moaned louder. Justin felt Brian shudder as his body reacted to Justin’s clenching around him. They stood there for a few more minutes, panting, listening to each other’s breathing as they slowly came back down to earth.
“You do realize you will kill me one day,” Brian huffed into Justin’s ear.
“I doubt it,” Justin replied, out of breath himself.
“And this is exactly how I want to go, Sunshine, with my dick up your ass for all eternity,” Brian said, still breathing heavily. “Just like George.”
“You are evil and incorrigible,” Justin said.
“I am…and don’t forget, handsome and hung!”
Justin turned and put his arms around Brian’s neck. He looked up at him while the water continued to beat down on them, washing away all signs of their loving. “You are also a fucking nut case, but I do love you. Come on, let’s dry off. I need to talk to you about Gus,” Justin said.
“What about him?” Brian asked. He opened the shower door and stepped out, grabbing one of the big white, fluffy towels off the heated towel rack. He turned around and wrapped Justin in the towel, rubbing him all over, kissing and nuzzling his face.
“He wants to know if we can call Mike and Brandy Lehigh and see if they’ll let Austin come out and spend some time with us. The kid is bored, Brian. He needs someone to be with while we’re out of the house.”
“And he thinks his best friend will entertain him?”
“Well, at least they’ll have each other to talk to. He does need that, since none of the kids around here know him.”
“I know,” Brian said. “He not only needs a friend over, he needs an activity to occupy him this summer.”
“You noticed?”
“Yeah, I noticed. I’m not that oblivious, you know.”
“What’d you have in mind?”
“Much as I hate the thought, because it’s just going to give me one more thing to worry about, the boy needs to learn how to drive and I’ll be damned if he learns that from the munchers! They’ll have him driving like a fucking old lady; I can’t let that happen.”
“Wow, you really have been giving this some thought, haven’t you?”
“Yeah, I’d teach him myself but I really don’t have the time. I’m going to hire a professional, you know, one of those driving school people and set it up so they come out here, pick him up and give him the lesson. I was thinking of letting him use the S-10 to learn in. That way, if he trashes it, we won’t feel too bad. You’re about due for a new truck anyway. Your paintings keep getting bigger and bigger, soon we’ll need a semi to lug your shit around,” Brian said.
“I’m sure the art world will really appreciate your calling my work shit!”
“Oh, get over it, you know what I mean,” Brian said. “If we let him use the Chevy, he can bang it up and I won’t feel bad.”
“I guess that’ll be fine. Most of my big stuff is downtown already, I won’t need the truck to move any art work around for a while. The next show isn’t till the fall.”
“Okay, so it’s settled then. I was also thinking of having someone over three or four days a week to teach him tennis and help him with his work-out routine. He needs to keep up his body building or he’ll be worthless when he goes back to Toronto. I’m sure the football coaches won’t be too happy with that. We can’t have him turning into a slug over the summer.”
Justin looked at Brian and was impressed. He really had been giving this some thought.
“You are such a good father, you know that? You should have had a house full of kids,” Justin said, grabbing Brian’s head and kissing him on the lips.
Brian looked at him and said, “Don’t go there, okay?”
“Why not? It’s true, you are great with him! You should have more children.”
“Justin, I don’t want more kids! Besides, I’m forty-five years old. I would be sixty-five fucking years old when this mythical kid turns twenty. Fuck that shit! I would never embarrass my child by giving him or her a parent old enough to be a grandfather. Besides, I’ve already told you, I don’t want any more children!”
“You know, the age thing is bullshit, Brian. Pablo Picasso had a child when he was in his seventies. It’s what kept him young and active for years.”
“Need I remind you that I am not Picasso? Even if I am a genius at what I do, my name is not Pablo!” Brian said, getting right in Justin’s face.
“Okay. I’ll drop it for now, but eventually I want to talk to you about this some more, you know that, don’t you?”
“Oh yeah, I am painfully aware of it.” Brian answered.
They made their way into the walk-in closet and quickly got dressed. It was the height of summer and the temperatures called for shorts and tank tops. Brian threw on a black wife beater and white shorts, forgoing shoes, as usual.
He headed out the door and Justin stayed back to finish getting dressed. He was still thinking about his conversation with Brian.
He had meant what he said about his being a good Dad. Brian had no idea what a good father he was.
Thinking about kids only brought to mind his conversation with Emmett last night and of course, Daphne. For some reason, the dilemma was not agitating him the way it had in the past few weeks. He seemed to have calmed down internally, possibly because of the talk he and Emmett had.
He made the decision to explore Buddhism further. To find a source, other than Em, who would help him understand the philosophy and basic principles. He thought about calling Ben, but changed his mind quickly because much as he liked Ben it would mean involving Michael and eventually Debbie and Carl. Daphne’s secret would become public knowledge and he did not want that to happen.
He decided that he would go to whomever Emmett had connected with and try and get more information from them. Someday he’d have the opportunity to pick Ben’s brain about Buddhism and his beliefs. Now was not the time to involve anyone in this other than the few that were already privy to the information.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
It was late Sunday morning and they were on the way to the airport to pick up Austin. His parents had agreed to send him to Pittsburgh for a few weeks to keep Gus company. This would take care of everybody’s immediate problem. Gus would have a companion and Austin’s parents would have a few weeks of solitude, a win-win situation for everybody.
Brian sat at the wheel of the BMW SUV with Justin beside him and Gus in the back seat. All three of them had something from Starbucks in their hand. They had stopped at the drive-through instead of having coffee at home because they had all slept in and were getting a late start.
Last night’s dinner with Daphne and Alex had been strained, to put it mildly. Brian had not even been able to dull the boredom with booze because he was still hung over from the night before. He had to sit through the whole thing sober, which made for a very uncomfortable evening. Daphne did her best to make everyone relax, waiting on Brian hand and foot to try and make up for what she did the other day but there was too much tension between them and things never really became comfortable.
It probably would have been better if they had just hashed out the whole problem then and there; however, no one seemed to want to broach the subject so Brian let it rest. He hadn’t been in the mood for an argument anyhow, and he knew that it would end up becoming a total screaming match so he was happy to ignore the whole thing. The longer they did that, the longer his life would not change.
“Dad?” Gus said from the back seat, interrupting his thoughts.
“Yeah?”
“Do you think Austin could learn how to drive too? That way we can both get our drivers license when we go back.”
“I don’t see why not,” Brian replied. “I just have to set it up with the driving school.”
“That would be so cool! We were going to take drivers ed this year but now we won’t have to.”
“I’m not so sure about that Gus. I don’t know what the laws are in Canada, as far as you getting a license. I just thought that if you got the technical part out of the way, then the paper work can follow when you get home.”
“Oh, I get it,” Gus said. “When I go back home all I’ll need is my permit. That’s fine with me.”
“Yeah, well I hope it’s fine with your mothers. I haven’t even mentioned it to them yet.”
“I’m sure it’ll be fine with them. So, can I learn with the Corvette?”
Brian looked at his son in the rear view mirror and said, “Hell no!”
“Dad!” Gus whined. “What’re you going to make me drive?”
“You are driving the truck, Gus. Do you honestly think I would let you drive one of the other cars? They are much too powerful, too expensive and too difficult to use as a learning tool. Not to mention, you would elevate my blood pressure by at least fifty points and I don’t need that,” Brian said.
“Really, Gus,” Justin interjected. “It’s much better to learn with a car that’s automatic and older and you won’t have to stress over hitting anything.”
“But, it’s not a cool car, ‘D’,” Gus said.
Justin turned around and looked at Gus. “You’ll have lots of time to drive a ‘cool’ car Gus. Learn with a piece of shit. That’s what we all did.”
“Well, how about if I drive this car? It’s not that expensive.”
“Oh really,” Brian said. “It cost more than two and a half trucks, if that means anything to you, and NO, you may not drive this car.”
“You guys are so lame,” Gus said in a low voice.
Brian looked at Gus in the mirror and said, “Excuse me?”
Gus looked up and saw Brian staring at him in the mirror. He was getting a very unfamiliar, disapproving look.
“Nothing, Dad,” Gus said quickly.
“It’d better be nothing, or the only thing you’re going to be driving is the lawn mower when I put you to work in the back yard!”
Gus looked at his father horrified! He tuned away and bit his tongue to prevent another smart-ass retort.
Austin was already waiting at the curb when they got to the airport. He had a large duffel bag by his feet and he smiled in relief when he saw the BMW pull up.
Brian stopped the car, popped the trunk open and waited as Austin threw the duffel in.
“How’s it going, kid?” Brian asked as Austin got in and sat beside Gus.
“Fine, Mr. Kinney. Mr. Taylor,” Austin nodded at Justin, acknowledging his presence. “Thank you both for letting me come.”
“You’re welcome,” Brian said. “I’m glad your parents were okay with this.”
“Oh, they were happy to be rid of me,” Austin said with a big smile on his face.
He had the kind of smile that was infectious, making you want to smile right back. The skin around his blue eyes would crinkle and his nose flared a little as he talked. There was a smattering of freckles across his nose and up his cheeks giving him a mischievous look. His auburn hair was cut close to his head, like Gus’, for the sake of sports. He was an attractive young man, at least six feet tall, wide at the shoulder and probably twenty pounds heavier than Gus. He was built like a tank, in Brian’s opinion, but he needed that for all the sports he was involved in.
He was Gus’ Mikey, best friends since the first grade and more loyal than any German Shepherd could ever be. Brian had been privileged to see some of that loyalty last year when Austin stood beside Gus during that first week of football, will all its associated problems.
Since then, he’d had a soft spot for the kid.
“So Austin, I’ve set up some activities for you guys over the next few weeks. Gus will tell you all about it when we get home. In the meantime, there’s lots to do around the house. I’m sure you can occupy yourselves today. Maybe we’ll barbeque later on. Our cook is off on weekends so you’ll have to suck up our cooking for one day. You think you can handle that?” Brian asked.
“Oh sure, Mr. Kinney,” Austin said. “I can help set up the barbeque, I do it for my parents.”
“That’ll be great Austin. And why don’t you just call us Brian and Justin. Let’s not be so formal.”
“Oh, I couldn’t do that,” Austin said. “How about Mr. B and Mr. J?”
“That’s funny,” Justin said. “That’s exactly what Max calls us.”
“Who’s Max?” Austin asked.
“He’s in charge of our house,” Brian replied. “He’s also an amazing chef. You’ll meet him tomorrow; he usually comes in around eight o’clock.”
“Sounds good,” Austin said.
When they got home Gus took Austin up to his room to get him settled.
Justin disappeared into the kitchen to get some lunch ready and Brian went up to his home office to make some phone calls.
He wanted to talk to Joe, his personal trainer, and ask him for a referral for Gus and Austin. He needed someone who was familiar with body building, but who would also be able to teach the boys tennis.
He dialed the gym and hoped Joe would be there, even though it was Sunday.
“Joe’s Gym,” someone answered on the other end.
“Hey, Brad, it’s Brian Kinney. Is Joe around?”
“Yeah, he just walked in. Let me get him for you.”
Brian was put on hold and he waited a few minutes.
“Brian, its Joe. What’s up my man?”
“Hey, Joe. My kid is in town for the summer and he’s got his best friend with him. They’re both fifteen, almost sixteen actually, and they’re both jocks, into all kinds of sports.”
“I didn’t know you had a son that age, Brian. And a jock at that.”
“I know! Don’t even ask me how I ended up with a straight kid, but there you have it. I need a trainer for them, for a few weeks. I want someone who’ll be willing to come to the house, help them with some body building but also teach them the rudiments of tennis. You got anyone that’ll fit the bill?”
“Hmm,” Joe, thought for a minute. “I think I might have someone in mind. Give me a few minutes to call him and I’ll get back to you. Are you going to be home?”
“Yeah, I’ll be here all day,” Brian said.
“Okay,” Joe replied, “I’ll see what I can do.”
Brian stayed at his desk, checking his e-mails and surfing the internet while he waited. About half an hour later the phone rang.
“Kinney,” he answered.
“Brian, its Joe.”
“Yeah, Joe, got anyone?”
“Yeah, I do. His name is Phil, but we all call him Fuzzy. He’s an ex-football player; used to play for the Jets. He works around here part time and he’s got a daughter who’s a tennis instructor. Anyway, I called him and told him what you need. He can come out to your place three times a week, and his daughter will come with him to help with the tennis part. How does that sound?”
“Sounds great! Give me his number so I can call and set it up.”
“Actually, I already did. He’ll be out there tomorrow, around ten in the morning. Is that too early?”
“No, that’s perfect,” Brian said. “The boys will have had breakfast and it’ll give them some time to get ready. Did you talk money with him?”
“No, I thought you would handle that part. I would just set up a flat fee, Brian, for the three weeks or whatever amount of time you need. Don’t do an hourly thing, you know?”
“Yeah, got it. I’ll take care of it Joe. Thanks a lot, buddy, I owe you one.”
“My pleasure, Brian. Anything, for one of my best customers.”
Brian hung up with a satisfied look on his face. That was perfect, he thought to himself, just killed two birds with one stone.
He stood up and left his office. He took the stairs down to the kitchen and walked in just in time to see Justin finishing up the last of the sandwiches he was preparing for lunch. He had made a Greek salad to go with them. Brian had to have a salad every day or he would rant about trans-fats and heart attacks.
“That looks good,” he said to Justin as he picked at the salad.
“Hey,” Justin said, hitting his hand lightly. “No picking. Go wash your hands and come sit down and eat. I’ve just called the boys, they’re on their way down here.”
“Yes, Mommy,” Brian said, looking at Justin in amusement.
“Oh, fuck off!”
“It’s all set for tomorrow,” Brian said, standing over the sink, washing his hands.
“What is?” Justin asked.
“The trainer and the tennis instructor. They’ll be here at ten in the morning, tomorrow. Are you going to be around, so you can meet them?”
“Yes, I’ll be here. I don’t have to go into town until Tuesday.”
“Okay, good. Tell Fuzzy I’ll call him later in the day to talk about money.”
“Fuzzy?”
“Yeah, that’s his nickname. He used to play football for the New York Jets. Maybe you guys can reminisce about the Big Apple. I’m sure you’ll have a lot in common,” Brian said, tongue-in-cheek.
“I doubt it,” Justin said, looking at Brian with disdain.
Brian snorted a laugh and sat down to eat his salad.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
It was eleven o’clock, Monday morning. Brian was standing in front of a new client, delivering a pitch. He was interrupted by the buzzing of the phone, a surprising thing, as Cynthia knew never to get him out of a meeting with a client, especially in the middle of a presentation.
“Yes,” he said abruptly.
“Brian, sorry to bother you,” Cynthia said, “But Justin needs to talk to you immediately. He says it’s an emergency!”
“Thanks, Cynthia. Excuse me gentlemen, I need to take this call in my office, I’ll be back in a minute,” Brian explained to his clients. “Please make yourselves comfortable, have some more coffee. My assistant will bring in some snacks for you to enjoy while you are waiting.”
He made his way out of the board room and as he passed Cynthia on his way to his office he instructed her to send in some food to keep the clients occupied.
In his office, he sat as his desk and picked up the phone.
“Brian,” Justin said as soon as he heard his voice.
“Yeah, what’s happening?”
“You need to come home, now!” Justin said emphatically.
“I can’t Justin. I’m in the middle of a meeting. What’s the problem?”
“The problem, Brian, is this fucking trainer. Oh..my..God…! This guy, this Fuzzy creature. Brian, he looks like he crawled out from under a rock! He’s got hair everywhere; I guess that must be why they call him Fuzzy,” Justin said, as an afterthought.
“Justin, what the fuck are you talking about?”
“The trainer, Brian! First of all, he’s missing several teeth, secondly, he looks like he just came out of a cave and should be dragging a saber-toothed tiger behind him and thirdly, his daughter, his fucking daughter, the tennis teacher, Jesus Christ!” Justin said, barely able to catch his breath.
“What? What’s wrong with her?” Brian asked.
“Nothing, if you need someone for 'fuckmyblondthroat.com’!
She looks like a porn star, Brian. She’s wearing an outfit that looks like it was spray painted on her and her boobs are so big you could use them as flotation devices! Gus and Austin are sniffing around her like two dogs on a lamp post! It’s disgusting!”
Justin sounded completely hysterical. Brian was trying really hard not to laugh, but it was almost impossible not to as he listened to Justin queening.
“Justin, you need to calm down. The guy is not there to participate in a beauty contest. He’s there to train the boys in body building. And Gus and Austin are straight, Justin! They’re bound to be sniffing around bimbos, that’s what straight guys do!”
“Didn’t you even check these people out before you hired them?” Justin asked.
“I relied on Joe to send me the best. He’s known me for years Justin. He would never recommend anyone that isn’t the best at what he does. So stop acting like a drama queen and get a grip! Who gives a shit what they both look like so long as they do their job?”
“I do! They are disturbing my Wa.”
“Your what?”
“MY WA! My inner fucking peace! They have seriously disturbed my harmony and balance; I’ve been a wreck since they got here!”
“Justin, I have no idea what the fuck a ‘Wa’ is but you had better get…over…it! I’ll be home as soon as I can and I’ll judge for myself when I see them. In the meantime, I suggest you go upstairs and jack-off to relieve some of your tension. That should fix your God damn Wa-Wa and make it all better!”
“Fuck you Brian!”
“No, right now YOU need to go fuck yourself, Justin. Enjoy!”
Brian hung up and shook his head. What the fuck? A Wa?
Brian went back to the boardroom and tried to finish up with his client. His head was now completely out of the pitch. It was in Britin with his family and so he decided to end the meeting and reschedule. He apologized profusely but the bottom line was that he could not deliver what they wanted to hear when his brain was so full of domestic drama.
He told Cynthia what was going on and he went back to his office, grabbed his brief case and headed on down to the garage.
In his car he dialed the house and got Justin on the second ring.
“Hey,” he said as soon as Justin picked up.
“What,” Justin replied.
“I’m on my way home. Are they still there?”
“Yes,” Justin answered, relieved.
“Well, tell them to hang around and wait till I get home. I’d like to meet them and discuss their fee. Use that as an excuse to keep them there.”
“I will. Don’t worry, I don’t think they’re planning on leaving yet. Tiffany is too busy showing the boys all her tennis moves. You should see the way they’re looking at her, Brian. They’re all but salivating.”
“Hey, if you were sixteen and a hot young stud came out to teach you tennis, you’d be just as bad. Except in your case, you’d probably do something about it!”
“I can’t believe you just insulted me!”
“If the shoe fits…”
“Whatever! Brian…just hurry up.”
“Justin, I’m going ninety miles an hour, isn’t that good enough for you?”
“Yes, but be careful,” Justin replied, in his best Mommy voice.
Brian rolled his eyes and hung up.
Fucking drama queen!
He’d have to see for himself how bad Fuzzy and his daughter really were. He was sure Justin was exaggerating; being overly-protective of Gus. He seemed to forget he wasn’t a baby anymore. The kid was almost sixteen. Christ, when he was that age he’d already lost his virginity and been around the scene and then some. He wondered when Gus’ Kinney genes were finally going to surface.
Looks like the time had come…
TBC
