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Supportive Karma is that which comes near the Reproductive Karma and supports it. It is neither good nor bad and it assists or maintains the action of the Reproductive Karma in the course of one’s lifetime. Immediately after conception till the death moment this Karma steps forward to support the Reproductive Karma. A moral supportive Karma assists in giving health, wealth, happiness etc. to the being born with a moral Reproductive Karma. An immoral supportive Karma, on the other hand, assists in giving pain, sorrow, etc. to the being born with an immoral reproductive Karma.
Chapter 18
Brian sat on the sofa in his living room with a glass of Scotch in his hand. Justin sat to his right. Austin and Gus were on the opposite sofa across from the coffee table, recipients of Brian’s icy cold look of disapproval.
“So,” Brian said, in a very quiet voice, “Explain to me once more, what the Fuck you were doing driving the Corvette in the first place!”
“Dad,” Gus stammered. “Please, don’t be mad.”
Brian shook his head and then drained his drink in one gulp. He stood up and headed to the bar for a refill, hoping that the action of moving from one end of the room to the other would give his emotions time to settle down and get under control. He came back to the seating area and stood looking down at Gus and Austin.
“Mad? Oh, I’m not mad, Gus! I passed mad a long time ago. Right now I’m ready to take you and your friend and put you both in a room, lock the door and throw away the key!” Brian stood there, clenching and unclenching his jaw so hard it was a miracle he didn’t fracture every tooth in his mouth.
“Tell me again, Gus, so I really understand this. WHY DID YOU TAKE THE CAR OUT OF THE GARAGE AND DRIVE IT?”
“It’s my fault, Mr. Kinney. I’m the one that put him up to it,” Austin said, looking up at Brian.
Brain sat back down on the sofa and crossed his legs. He ran his left hand through his hair and looked at Gus, waiting for him to say something.
“No, that’s not true, Dad. It was my idea,” Gus admitted.
“I know Gus. And the reasoning behind it?” Brian asked with pursed lips and a raised eyebrow.
“I thought it would be fun,” Gus blurted out. “Driving the truck isn’t any fun, Dad, it’s automatic and it feels like you’re driving a toy car almost. Besides, it’s not a cool car at all. I thought we’d take the Corvette out for a ride around the property, just for a minute, to see what it was like to drive an awesome car like that,” Gus finished, waiting to see Brian’s reaction.
“You thought it would be fun?” Brian said, his voice starting to rise a decibel or so. “Didn’t it occur to you that you had never driven a standard car before? That the ‘Vette was not going to be as easy to drive as the truck?”
“I, uh, read…on the internet… how to drive a car with a stick shift, so I wanted to practice,” Gus stammered on.
Brian couldn’t believe he was hearing any of the shit coming out of his son’s mouth. This whole incident was obviously Gus’ attempt to wrestle back some of the control over his and Austin’s relationship. Making the decision to take the Corvette out of the garage was Gus’ way of proving he was still in charge, regardless of Austin’s success with Tiffany. Brian drained his second drink in one gulp, uncrossed his legs and leaned forward to rest the glass on the coffee table.
“And how did this classic, awesome car end up at the bottom of my fucking swimming pool Gus? Christ, I hardly ever drive it anymore just to preserve it in its original state, and now look at where the fuck it is.” Brian’s rage was at full strength now, something Gus had never seen before.
“I lost control, Dad,” Gus answered, looking at him with eyes that were once again shiny with tears.
“You lost control,” Brian said, enunciating each word clearly. “And how did you do that? Were you going ninety miles an hour? What the hell happened, Gus? I don’t understand how a car can end up at the bottom of a fucking swimming pool?”
Justin put his hand on Brian’s leg and gave him a gentle squeeze, hoping to try and calm him down.
“I couldn’t shift from second to third, Dad, so I had the clutch in and I was so focused on that, I didn’t realize the car was speeding up and somehow, I was off the driveway and going down the hill and by the time I saw the pool we were too close to it. I thought I stepped on the brake but, I guess I stepped on the gas instead and, oh-my-God, Dad, we were in the water and I was freaking out and Austin was undoing my seat belt and, trying to get me out of the car. Then I felt Max pulling me out the window and then Raoul was there too, dragging us all out of the water!”
At this point, Gus’ tears were flowing down his face. Austin was also crying so Justin stood up and moved over to the other sofa and took Gus in his arms to try and console him.
Brian watched as Gus wept in Justin’s arms. Austin sat beside them, tears flowing as well, back handing them as quickly as they came, wiping his hands on his pants, like a little boy, instead of the sixteen- year-old that he was.
“Okay, guys,” Brian said, taking a ragged breath and easing up a little. He could see that Gus and his best friend had been punished enough for one day. “We’re all lucky that nothing serious came out of this, other than bruised egos and a very wet Corvette. Max is going to get a bonus from me, for jumping in the water to rescue both of you, and Raoul is going to get a bonus as well, accompanied by a knock on the head for jumping in when he doesn’t even know how to swim. It’s a miracle he didn’t drown! This is fucking unbelievable!” Brian said to himself, shaking his head.
“Is the Corvette ruined, Mr. Kinney?” Austin asked, tentatively.
“No, thank God,” Brian said. “It’ll just need to dry out and then it’ll be fine. It wasn’t in the water that long and it’s fresh water, so there shouldn’t be any permanent damage. At least that’s what I was told by my mechanic and the insurance guys.”
“Thank God! My parents would have killed me if I had to pay for that,” Austin said, red-faced.
“Your parents may kill you yet when I tell them what just occurred here,” Brian said, looking at the kid that was built like a tank.
“You’re not going to tell them, please!” Austin begged. “They’re going to make me get on the first plane out of here.”
“Well, that might not be such a bad idea,” Brian said quietly.
“Dad!” Gus whined.
“Brian, no!” Justin said.
“I don’t know, guys, I need some time to think about this,” Brian replied, standing up and getting ready to leave the room.
“I think it would be best if you went upstairs and settled in for the night,” Justin said to the two boys. “We can make decisions in the morning, right Brian?” Justin asked, looking Brian in the eye, mentally begging him not to contradict his statement.
“That’s fine,” Brian answered. He was exhausted suddenly, now that the initial adrenalin rush had left his body. “You guys go on up to your rooms.”
Gus and Austin stood up to go. Before walking out of the room, Gus crossed over to Brian and slowly put his arms around his waist and his head on Brian’s shoulder. He was holding him tightly, wanting the contact, needing to hear the forgiveness.
“I’m so sorry, Dad. You were right about the cars. I should never have taken the Corvette out of the garage.”
Brian melted as soon as he heard those words and felt Gus’ arms around him. He held on to him for a minute then he kissed him on the cheek and said, “I’m just grateful you and Austin weren’t trapped in the car. You’re damn lucky you had the window down or this could have turned into a real tragedy. We all got lucky.”
He pushed Gus away from him and looked him in the eyes. “Next time maybe you’ll listen to your old man, huh, Sonny boy?”
“I will, Dad, I’m really sorry,” Gus answered quietly, holding on to his father, not wanting to let go.
Brian released him and gently pushed him towards the hallway. “Go on, up to your room; I’ll talk to you in the morning.”
“Come on Austin,” Gus called out to his friend as he walked out of the room.
Brian and Justin made their way into the kitchen where Max was sitting at the table with Emmett beside him holding his hand. They stopped talking as soon as Brian and Justin entered the room.
“Hey, Max,” Brian said, as he pulled out a chair and sat down. “How’s it going? Are you feeling any better?”
Max looked at his employer and didn’t quite know what to say. His eyes were still red from the weeping he had done as soon as he saw Emmett and broke down in his arms. He had completely lost it after the paramedics and firefighters had left. Justin was the one who had called Emmett and told him to come over as quickly as possible to see if he could calm Max.
Max felt sick, knowing that he had been put in charge and yet had somehow gotten so engrossed in his baking that he didn’t realize what the boys were up to after the driving instructor had left. He had just finished putting the cheesecake in the oven when he heard the horn honk and then the big splash. He watched in horror from the kitchen window as the Corvette went sailing into the pool with the two boys inside.
“Brian,” Max said. “I am so sorry that this happened.”
“Max, this is not your fault. I’m in your debt for getting them out of the car and out of the pool,” Brian replied.
“I wouldn’t have had to do any of that if I had kept a better eye on them,” he said, looking away from Brian and trying to keep his tears in check as he felt them so close to the surface.
Brian reached over and took both his hands in his.
“Max,” he said. “Listen to me. Are you listening?”
“Yeah, Brian,” Max said. He turned to look back at him and waited.
“None of this is your fault! When I asked you to be in charge I didn’t mean be the Nanny and walk around the property with them on a leash. Who knew what these crazy kids were up to? I doubt that any one of us could have done anything to prevent this once they got the brilliant idea in their heads. You did the best you could under the circumstances and I am so grateful that you dove in and pulled them out of the car. They could have been trapped in there and…” Brian stopped talking. He took a ragged breath and just shook his head.
“Justin, I need another drink, or a Valium or something. Jesus, my nerves are for shit!” Brian said.
Justin stood up and went out to the bar to pour Brian another drink. He came back into the kitchen and handed it to him, at the same time he stood behind his chair and placed his hand on Brian’s shoulder and waited there.
Brian took a sip of his drink and put his left hand up to grab Justin’s hand. He pulled him around and made him sit on his lap, encircling him with his arms and resting his forehead on Justin’s back.
“Christ,” Brian said softly. “I almost had a fucking heart attack when I pulled in the driveway and saw the ambulance and the fire truck.”
“I know,” Max said. “That’s how I felt when I stood at the window and saw the car going in the pool. I thought I would have a heart attack right there and then too.”
“Max honey,” Emmett said, putting his arm around him and giving him a hug. “You’re all farklempt! It’s over with, gorgeous, no one died, thanks to you; other than your poor cheesecake, of course.”
Max turned towards Emmett rewarding him with a shy, one-sided smile.
Justin listened to the exchange between Emmett and Max and finally said, “Why don’t you guys go on home and try and relax. Take tomorrow off if you need to, Max. We’ll talk again in the morning.”
“I think that’s an excellent idea,” Emmett said. “Come on sweetie,” he said pulling him up and out of his seat. “Let me take you home and make you a nice, warm bath, and then I’ll give you a full body massage with the new oil that I got from the Bed and Body shop the other day. It smells just like sandalwood. I’ll rub you all over with…”
“Stop!” Brian said immediately. “TMI, Em, just go do what you gotta do, spare me the details.”
“Honestly Brian, do you think you’re the only one who knows how to make someone feel good?” Emmett asked pointedly.
“Did I say that, Emmett? I just don’t want to hear any of the gory details. Now take Max home and fix him. He needs some TLC.”
“Oh, I’ll TLC him all right, touch, lick, come…”
“Emmett!” Brian, Justin and Max all yelled at the same time.
Laughing at his audience, Emmett was pleased that his joke had the desired effect and got everyone out of their dark mood.
Emmett pulled Max off the chair and they made their way out the side door of the kitchen.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Later on that evening Brian and Justin sat in their hot tub which was located in the basement of the house, alongside all the bodybuilding equipment and the sauna. The sweet smell of Chronic invaded every corner of the room as they had both resorted to their time-honored form of relaxation; sharing a joint and drinking some booze. They sat in the very hot water, feeling the tension slowly leave their bodies as they tried to forget everything that happened today.
“Brian?”
“Yeah.”
“I know this isn’t a good time to ask, but, what do you think happens when you die?”
“Maggot fest, Sunshine.”
“Ugg, that is disgusting. Seriously, Brian, answer my question. What do you think happens?”
“How the fuck should I know Justin, and furthermore, do you really think we need to be having this discussion, after what happened today?”
“I guess that’s why it’s foremost on my mind, Brian.”
“Well, I don’t really want to think about what could have happened to the boys. It makes me what to hurl,” Brian said.
“I know,” Justin replied seriously. “We got lucky today.”
“Yup,” Brian answered. “The joys of fatherhood.”
“What’s that got to do with anything?” Justin asked, staring at Brian.
Brian looked at his partner with a frown on his face and said, “This is the reality of being a parent Justin. It’s not the cute baby in the pretty bassinet with the colorful mobiles floating around and the little stuffed animals completing the picture. The reality of parenting is dealing with shit like this, the everyday stuff of kids discovering, learning, getting into trouble; the never-ending, on-going bullshit of being a parent. It never stops, Justin, not till we’re six feet under.”
“Christ, that’s a sobering thought,” Justin replied.
“It’s the truth, though,” Brian said realistically. “No matter how old your kid is, he’ll always be on your mind. There’s an old saying I heard once…I can’t remember who said, it but it went something like, ‘You’re only as happy as your unhappiest child’. You ever hear that?”
“I can’t say that I have,” Justin said, sipping his wine.
“Well, you get the gist; it’s always in the back of your head. How’s he doing, what’s he doing, who’s he with, is he happy? You know what I mean?”
“Yeah, I do, unfortunately. I know exactly what you mean,” Justin said.
“Yeah, well, this is what it’s all about, Sunshine. Once you let them in your life they get under your skin like a fungus and grow and grow on you till they take over, and before you know it, you’ve turned into this giant worry-wart, queening over their every move, wondering what the fuck they’re going to do next! And it’s only going to get worse as he gets older and tries new things.”
“Jesus Brian, you make him sound like the Ebola virus.”
Brian huffed out a laugh and threw some water at Justin. “It must be the dope that’s making me so eloquent,” he said.
“You’re not going to send Austin home, are you?” Justin asked.
“No. But don’t tell them yet, I want them to suffer a little bit.”
“You’re evil,” Justin said, smiling.
“That’s me. Evil as all get-out; but in this case, they deserve it. He’s lucky I’m not Jack Kinney. He’d have had a whip to him faster than you can say what-the-fuck! I would never lay a hand on Gus after all the abuse I put up with at home; but I sure was tempted when I saw the Corvette in the pool. Can you believe that shit? Even at our worst you and I never did stuff like that.”
“Oh, I know. I think my father would have made me stay in my room for the rest of my life if I ever did anything like that,” Justin replied.
“And that would have been a real problem, Sunshine.”
“Huh?”
“How would I have ever found you if you were locked away like Rapunzel in your castle?”
Justin looked at him and rewarded him with his mega-watt smile. He moved forward to give Brian a loud, wet kiss. “I’m sure you would have found a way, you evil man, somehow, you would have worked yourself into my life, it’s Karma.”
“Karma?”
“Yup. You and I have some kind of Karmic connection that has brought us together, despite everything that could possibly go wrong, and did. But look, here we are, fifteen years later, still a couple,” Justin said.
“I know, that is pretty amazing, isn’t it? So tell me a little bit about Karma and your talks with the Dalai Lama.”
Now it was Justin’s turn to splash some water at Brian. “The Master, Brian, his real name is too damn long. Just call him the Master.”
“Whatever the fuck! So tell me,” Brian said, taking another drag off his joint.
Justin started talking. Slowly at first, then building up momentum as he recounted everything he had learned so far about Buddhism and Karma. Brian sat and listened, hardly interrupting, watching Justin as he talked on and on.
“So, this whole Karma thing; do you believe it?” Brian asked.
“Doesn’t it make so much more sense than the fucking Heaven and Hell concept, Brian?”
“It’s an interesting theory. I suppose it’s nice to believe that you control your own destiny and God and fate really have nothing to do with it, considering no one’s ever seen the Man.”
“And yet they have seen Buddha, so you know for a fact that he existed,” Justin said. “And, in your own very unique way, you’ve been a practicing Buddhist for quite some time, minus a few points here and there,” Justin said, tongue-in-cheek.
“So all this time, I’ve had some things in common with Zen Ben after all,” Brian said, surprised.
“I’m sure Michael wouldn’t think so, but yes, in many ways you do have a very Buddhist philosophy in dealing with life,” Justin answered.
“Well, that’s all well and good Sunshine. But I gotta tell you something,” Brian said, looking at Justin with a straight face.
“And what’s that, Brian?”
“I look like shit in orange, so you can forget about me ever wearing anything in that color, and I would never shave my head; not for Buddha, you or anyone else for that matter. And last but not least,” Brian said, definitely high on weed at this point, “There will be no chanting in this house. I can’t stand repetitive noises, and you know it! But I will continue to run around barefoot, that at least is in keeping with Buddhism, right?”
“Oh my God, Brian,” Justin said, looking at Brian sitting there totally lit up, “You are unbelievable! Did I say you had to become a Buddhist monk? They’re the only ones with the shaved heads and robes. And the chanting is just a form of meditation; it’s used to produce calm and peace within.”
“Blowjobs and drugs do that to me too,” Brian replied, with a big grin on his face. “So, how about if I blow you while you chant? Or, better yet, you blow me and I’ll chant over and over. Umm, that’s hot, umm, so good…umm, a little harder…umm, don’t stop…will that give us some good Karma?” Brian asked, laughing like a lunatic at this point, moving over to Justin’s side, getting ready to pull him out of the hot tub.
Justin rolled his eyes and ducked underneath the water, refusing to listen to anymore.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Much, much later, after a long session of ‘chanting’, Brian made his way down the stairs and headed for the kitchen because he had an extreme case of the munchies, courtesy of the two joints he had smoked earlier on. Justin had passed out after his third orgasm and had moved to the center of the bed and laid spread eagle, hogging every square inch of their massive California King size bed. How someone so little could take up so much room Brian would never understand.
He had thrown on a pair of sweats and he padded down the hallway, past Gus and Austin’s rooms, down the long winding stairs; his bare feet enjoying the smooth feeling of the hardwood. He had left his t-shirt off on purpose because it was a warm summer night and the cool air coming out of the air conditioning vents felt good against his heated body. He chuckled to himself when he remembered how Justin kept saying ‘fuck me’ over and over, turning it into a special mantra, guaranteed to bring him to a different level of inner peace, as if Brian hadn’t already done that a million times in the past.
When he got to the kitchen he was surprised to see Gus sitting at the table with a loaf of bread and two jars in front of him; one of peanut butter and the other one of grape jelly.
“Sonny boy,” Brian said gently, not wanting to startle the boy, “You’re hungry too, I see.”
“Yeah, Dad, is it okay if I’m here?” Gus asked, definitely surprised by Brian’s entrance.
“Of course it is, why wouldn’t it be?”
“Well,” Gus said hesitantly, “I didn’t know if you wanted me to just stay in my room.”
“Gus, you’re not eight-years-old and I never did believe in time-out sessions. Dumb, if you ask me.”
“Would you rather eat by yourself?” Gus asked, barely able to look Brian in the eye.
Brian looked at Gus and reached out to grab his hand, just as Gus was going to reach for the bread.
“Gus, look at me,” Brian said.
Gus looked at his father and couldn’t help the tears that were welling up in his beautiful hazel eyes, threatening to overflow if he heard one harsh word.
“I love you Gus,” Brian said gently. “No matter what you ever do, I will always love you. I may not agree with everything and we may occasionally have words or arguments, but that doesn’t mean I don’t love you or don’t care. Do you hear me, son?”
Gus couldn’t say the words, he was too shocked by Brian’s statement and his tears were on the brink of running down his cheek so all he could do was nod.
Finally, when he regained some of his composure, he said, “I love you too Dad, and I’m really sorry about the ‘Vette. I can’t believe I did that, it’s just not like me to do something so impulsive.”
“Hey,” Brian said, waving his hand over Gus’ head. “See, no halo son, and the last time I looked, no wings either.” Brian reached over and pulled Gus towards him, squeezing both of his hands in his. “You’re not an angel Gus and therefore not perfect, so please, stop beating yourself up. It’s done, okay. Tomorrow we’ll talk about punishment and how you and Austin will take care of the damages but tonight I want you to put this behind you. Are you listening to me?”
“Yeah, Dad, I’m listening,” Gus smiled tentatively, finally relaxing and breathing normally.
“Good. Now pass the bread and the peanut butter and the jelly. Fuck my no carbs at night rule, I’m in the mood to eat. Oh and Gus, would you get me a banana out of the pantry, may as well make this a sandwich from hell, a fucking carbohydrate nightmare,” Brian said smiling widely at his son who smiled right back.
“Make one for me too, Dad,” Gus asked.
Brian looked at him and said, “Anything for you, Sonny Boy.”
TBC
