It was Thursday and Brian and Justin had been cooking dinner together for 5 days.  Brian was getting comfortable in Justin's kitchen, using various kitchen gadgets, especially the meat thermometer.

Brian found that he looked forward to his nightly meeting followed by dinner at Justin's.  He enjoyed his company and his sponsorship was invaluable.  They had discussed what to make for dinner tonight and Justin had gone shopping for the ingredients.

After their meeting, they had driven to Justin's apartment. Brian knocked on the door when he arrived, even though he knew Justin was expecting him and was probably just a few minutes ahead of him.  Brian had told Justin that he needed gas and would be there shortly.

Justin opened the door and waved Brian in.  "I know you agreed yesterday to eat something besides chicken, so I hope you really enjoy our cooking tonight.  I can't believe you agreed to eat Indian food.  Your food choices are definitely expanding." Justin said, remembering the many months of Brian eating a salad or a grilled chicken dinner.  Justin walked into the kitchen and Brian followed him.

"So how was your day?"  Justin asked, genuinely interested in Brian's life. Justin busied himself taking out the necessary bowls and measuring spoons for their dinner preparation.

"Good.  I've been working on a new campaign and we signed the contract today,"  Brian said.  He was proud of his business and its accomplishments.  "My staff earned a nice bonus."  Brian opened the fridge and reached for a bottled water.  It was a natural move and not one he really thought about.  He was comfortable in Justin's kitchen and in his presence.  "How was your day?  Aren't you getting ready for that upcoming show?  I still want to come."

"Yeah, it's next week.  Thanks for reminding me.  Molly said to give you her info and you guys can talk about meeting up before the show.  She really is excited about not having to ward off the hounds and just enjoy my show.  Thanks again for offering to escort her.  We both appreciate it," Justin said as he got his phone out of his pocket and scrolled through until he found Molly's contact info.  He texted it to Brian.  "I don't know what I would do without my phone.  I remember my mom spending hours with me as a kid drilling into my head my phone number and address in case I was ever lost.  Now, I don't really know anyone's info without looking at my phone," Justin said, sharing a childhood memory with fondness in his voice.  Putting his phone back in his pocket, he moved to the kitchen sink to wash his hands.  "Dinner isn't going to make itself.  Let's get started."

Brian went over to the sink and washed his hands as well.  "What's first?"

"First we cook the quinoa and while it is cooking we cut up the sweet potatoes."  Justin took out the quinoa from the shelf, measured a cup, and dumped it into the drainer.  "You have to rinse it to make sure all the residue is off."  Then he placed the quinoa in a pot, measured out two cups of water, and turned the burner on.  "Grab the sweet potatoes," he said to Brian.

Brian grabbed the sweet potatoes and leaned down to grab the cutting board from the cabinet.  He also grabbed a knife from the block on the counter. " Do I just cube them or do something else?"  Brian asked, amazed at his quickly forming knowledge of cooking terms. He was also impressed that after 5 days he knew where a lot of things in Justin's kitchen were located.  He didn't think he knew where similar items were kept in his own kitchen.

"Cubed is fine.  Not too big but not too small.  About the size of two to three dice," Justin said, showing with his hands and fingers the approximate size of the cubes he wanted.  While Brian cut up the sweet potatoes, Justin took 2 cans of garbanzo beans from the pantry and opened them.  He went to the spice cabinet and grabbed chili powder, smoked paprika, cumin, garam masala, curry powder, red pepper flakes, garlic, and ginger, placing them right next to his mixing bowl.

"I like to take a shortcut and often cook the quinoa in an Instant Pot, but since you are still learning, I wanted to show you the traditional way, using the stovetop. I doubt Emmett has purchased an Instant Pot for your kitchen.  Leave the sweet potatoes on the cutting board."  Justin said, explaining some of his cooking shortcuts.

 "We're going to measure all the ingredients before we turn on the stove." Justin measured the dry spices and placed them in a small container.  Next Justin took out the olive oil and frying pan, putting the oil in the pan.

"You'll know when it is hot enough when you flick some water in the pan and it sizzles."  Justin demonstrated his technique.  "Okay, now we will place the spices with the oil and simmer for 2-3 minutes.  As the spices are cooking we'll cut the onion and red pepper.  I use squeezed ginger and already prepared garlic to save time. Why don't you measure them out?" 

Brian looked at the recipe and measured the ginger and garlic, placing them in another small glass bowl that Justin had pointed out.

"Now we add all this to the spices," Justin said.

As soon as the garlic and onions were added to the mix, Brian said, "It smells wonderful. If it tastes anything as it smells, we have another great dinner coming."

"I'll add the sweet potatoes, onions, peppers, garlic, and ginger now and let them cook for about three minutes,"  Justin said as had Brian added the new ingredients to the frying pan.

"The quinoa should be done now, so I'll add it and the garbanzo beans to the mix."  Brian added the new ingredients as Justin continually stirred the other items.  Justin let the new ingredients cook for  3 minutes.  "Now we add the tomatoes and stir for an additional two minutes." *** recipe at the bottom of the chapter

"It seems to cook fast, but there are a lot of steps.  How do you remember it all?" Brian watched Justin stir the food, the amazing aroma filling Justin's kitchen.  "I'm not sure I'd ever remember to do everything."

"We have the recipe.  I find that gathering all your ingredients before you start to cook is the easiest way.  If you prep and measure everything before you start, it goes by very fast.  When I first started cooking, I'd do each step separately, but didn't prep anything before I cooked.  It seemed to take a lot longer.  It also seemed to take way longer to fix anything.  Now I can cook most meals in under 30 minutes,"  Justin said, watching Brian's face, impressed by his eagerness to try out new things.  "Okay, all done.  Now we get to eat some Indian food.  Meatless and quick."  When Justin was certain that everything was cooked, he turned off the burner and placed the frying pan on the warming burner.  "This is a warming burner.  It allows the heated food to stay warm," Justin pointed out to Brian.  I'll have to look at your stovetop to see if you have one. Although, with your top-of-the-line appliances, I can't imagine you wouldn't have one."

Brian got down two plates, giving one to Justin.  He spooned some of the Indian dish onto his plate and grabbed his bottled water, taking both to the table.  He waited until Justin had joined him.  He took his fork and placed some food on it, tentatively putting it in his mouth. The strong mixture of spices hit his tongue, filling his mouth with an amazing flavor.

 "This is delicious.  I wonder if I could get Gus to try it."  Brian said as he smiled at Justin.  "Thanks for pushing the envelope."

"Glad you like it.  Indian food is one of my favorites.  I cook it at least a couple of times a month.  It's healthy and usually pretty fast."  Justin smiled at the compliment and took several bites of the dish. 

"So any thoughts on the meeting tonight?" Justin wanted to be sure that Brian had an opportunity to talk about the meeting, not just eat dinner. 

"The topic was interesting.  I never really thought about what a sponsor does," Brian said.

"Sponsorship can take many forms.  It really depends on the person and the sponsor.  Some sponsors are less hands-on than others," Justin said, remembering his first few months with his sponsor, Jeremy.

"I thought the role of the sponsor was to be there for the person, day or night. Are you saying that this is not the case?"

"Sponsorship comes in all forms.  Some people just want to know that their sponsor is around, while others want to know that the person is going to support them in any way possible.  I've heard sponsors talk about meeting with their sponsored family and explaining about alcoholism."

Brian looked at Justin with skepticism.  "I'm glad you didn't offer to do that.  Not that I would have let you.  Based on my conversations with Michael, any intervention on your part would have fallen on the same deaf ears that my discussions did. The rest of the family seem to take the news well and are very supportive." 

"Remember, when I offered to go with you to Babylon?"  Justin asked.

"Sure.  I was really surprised that you did but happy that you offered. Even though it didn't happen, I appreciated the support.  Thank you, in case I never told you," Brian said, the genuineness evident in his voice.  "So, you did that because you are my sponsor?" 

"Sort of.  I did it because I wanted to help. There is no sponsor training and of course, there is no rule book, per se.  Each sponsor needs to be committed to helping their person 100% and doing what they need to reach and maintain sobriety."

"No class in sponsorship.  Why am I not surprised that there isn't a syllabus," Brian joked.

Justin laughed at their running joke.  "One of the things that I did as your sponsor was to encourage you to attend different groups.  Each group is a little different and eventually, you migrate to ones that fit your personality."

"I never really thought about that, but I guess most groups don't meet every day.  If you weren't my sponsor, would you go to a group every day?"

"Maybe not every day, but definitely once a week, maybe even twice a week, depending on what is going on in my life," Justin said, thinking about his needs.

"What else is a sponsor supposed to do?"  Brian asked.

"The sponsor encourages activities with other members, helping the person gain a new set of social contacts. The sponsor encourages sobriety and for the person to work through the steps.  It is all vague but I take my cue from you,"  Justin said, sharing his thoughts on the subject. Justin took another bite of his dinner, washing it down with some water.  He was really happy that Brian seemed to be taking to his offer of cooking together.  He admitted that he loved cooking with someone else and was really enjoying the camaraderie. 

"From me? How exactly am I supposed to give you guidance when I'm very much in the dark myself?"

"That is easy.  I take my lead from your questions and comments.  Whenever we attend a meeting, I listen to your comments and we talk afterward.  There are always multiple messages that can be learned from any given meeting, but you choose which ones to hear."

"So, you're saying that my fears about Gus, making amends, my interest in exploring the city to gain some new hobbies, and all things we've discussed are a result of my comments?"  Brian asked, impressed that Justin had been taking his lead from Brian's comments. 

"Yes,"  Justin said as he took another bite of his dinner.  "This did really turn out well.  I'm glad we'll have leftovers."

"So, if all of a sudden, I would tell you that I was questioning AA's philosophy about never drinking, you wouldn't try and talk me out of it, but help me explore it?"  Brian asked, trying to push Justin.  He wasn't sure why he used that example, but he wasn't going to question his thoughts.

"I would try and help you work through your thoughts and the possible consequences.  I wouldn't just leave it on the table and not address it.  Is this something you are contemplating?"  Justin asked, hoping that Brian was just using an extreme example, rather than having doubts about his sobriety.

"No, I'm not thinking of drinking, just wanted to be sure I understood your role,"  Brian said, a new bitterness evident in his voice, angry at Justin's question. 

"Brian.  I started out as your sponsor and I'm still your sponsor.  But I'm your friend.  No one is making me do the things I do.  I enjoy being with you and Gus. I'm more than just your sponsor," Justin said, seeing the change in Brian's facial features; the furrowed brow and frown, and hoping that Brian hadn't stopped listening.

Brian had learned that he needed to accept all of his feelings, not hide them in a bottle.  While his first instinct would have been to give Justin the cold shoulder or walk out, he took a deep breath, did a quick check of his state of mind, and looked at Justin.  "I know.  It's still a little hard for me to accept that someone would voluntarily be my friend.  I know we have talked about this before, but I just hope that you don't regret offering to be my sponsor.  I don't know where I'd be without your guidance and belief in me,"  Brian said, putting his feelings on the line.

Justin reached out his hand and laid it on top of Brian's.  He could feel the tension in Brian's hand ease as he placed his hand on top of Brian's.  The gesture, a friendly and welcome reminder that Justin was here because he wanted to be, not because someone made him or that he wanted something from Brian. 

"I don't regret it at all.  I'm learning so much about myself as I attend each meeting and our dinner discussions help me as well as you.  I've missed having a friend to hang out with who wasn't interested in just getting drunk.  If you feel that you don't have anything to offer me, you're wrong.  Your friendship is one I've grown quite fond of," Justin said, holding back the truth about his level of feelings about Brian.  One day, he would have to share those feelings, but not yet.  Brian was still too vulnerable.

"I'm glad you don't regret it.  Oh I forgot to tell you, I heard from Lindsay today,"  Brian said, leaving the obvious opening to the conversation.

"Oh..."  Justin responded, thinking it wasn't totally bad news, since Brian was just now mentioning it.

"Yeah.  She sent me a bill for his physical for camp.  I guess she is trying to test me to see if I meant what I said and would pay any of his bills.  She doesn't realize that every time she is sending me a bill she is just stacking the deck in my favor.  If she ever plans on taking me to court for child support or other legal shit, the fact that she sends me all his bills will be in my favor."  Brian said, pleased with the information. 

"So, have you had any other legal stuff come down since the court fiasco?"  Justin asked.  He'd known better than to ask his sister since she could lose her job if she talked about client information. 

"No.  She just sends me any bill that has to do with Gus. She sent me the bill for his camp fees, even though I have always paid those.  She sent me the bill for his lunches at school and for a stupid library fine. I'm not sure of her game.  It's almost like she is trying to push me into saying enough and that she should pay for some of his bills, but I don't mind paying for them. He's my son and I want the best for him."  Brian ate a few bites of his dinner, enjoying the unique flavor.  When he looked at his plate, he was surprised at how much he had already eaten.

"Of course you do. After all, you changed your whole life, getting sober, just for him," Justin said, not needing to remind Brian of his motivation to stop drinking.

"Speaking of Gus, I guess we are cooking tomorrow night.  Are you still planning on coming to dinner? I know Gus wants to have someone try the food.  If you can't come, it's no big deal.  After a week of cooking with you, I'm feeling pretty confident that we can do this."  Brian waved his hand toward the kitchen.  "Five days ago, I didn't even know there was such a thing as a kitchen thermometer.  I've checked and Emmett did buy one.  But, now I won't wonder what it is or how to use it," Brian grinned and ate another bite of his dinner. 

"Sure, I'll be there.  I promise to stand back and just watch unless you guys need my help.  Next week, Emmett will be there and he can add in his expert opinion.  By the third week, you guys should be able to charge for the food, it will be so good," Justin said, laughing at his own joke. 

Brian finished the last few bites of his Indian dish.  "Let's clean this up.  I need to get home.  I've got a busy day tomorrow." 

Justin finished his food and the two of them made quick clean-up work of the kitchen.  Brian watched as Justin put the last plate in the dishwasher and wiped it down the counter.  Brian walked over to Justin and gave him a hug.  "Thanks for teaching me.  I guess an old dog can learn new tricks," he said, tongue in cheek.  "See you tomorrow." 

Justin returned the hug, pleased that Brian was feeling so comfortable in his home.  He walked him to the door.

 *****************

When Brian picked up Gus at school, Gus was practically bouncing in his seat. 

"Is Justin still coming over tonight?  I can't wait to show him how we can cook," Gus said.

"Justin and I have been cooking too.  He decided that I needed my own lessons since I wasn't able to learn with you and Emmett.  I'm sure he will be impressed."

"You've been practicing with Justin.  That is so cool, Dad.  Is he a good cook?"

"I don't know how to judge who is a good cook vs who is a bad cook, but I will say that our meals are better than diner food.  Last night, we had an Indian dish.  I really liked it.  I bet you and Emmett could make something like that.  It's super easy."

"I've never had Indian food, but it sounds different.  What makes it Indian?" Gus asked as he watched his Dad navigate the traffic. 

"I guess it is the spices.  There is curry, cumin, and a spice called garam masala.  It has a lot of flavor but it isn't really spicy.  Maybe we can go to an Indian restaurant this weekend and you can try some.  If you like it, we can cook some Indian food next weekend.  That would sure surprise Emmett,"  Brian said, thinking how the man who owned a catering company would feel if they turned up with an Indian dish.

Brian pulled into the parking lot of the grocery store.  "I didn't get to the store, but I thought we'd have plenty of time before Justin arrived to shop and cook.  Justin should be at the loft about 5:30.  That should give us time to at least start dinner."

"Super, Dad.  You're the best," Gus said as he reached out to give his father a hug.

"Speaking of this weekend, what are we going to do tomorrow? Did you and Justin talk about anything?" Gus asked, always looking forward to the adventures he had with Justin and his father. 

"Not really.  Do you have something in mind?"

"Well... I was thinking...." Gus hesitated, unsure how his father would react to his answer.

"Out with it Gus.  We made this huge list and we all agreed to the activities.  Anything is fine with me,' Brian said, as he turned off the car and took his hand off the door handle.  He turned toward Gus, giving him his full attention.

"Well, I was wondering if we could maybe buy me a bed," Gus said, turning toward his father.

"A bed," Brian repeated, unsure where this had come from.  Brian looked at his son, seeing the earnestness on his face.

"Well, I used to only spend the night once a month, but now I'm doing it every week.  I thought you might like to have your bed and I could have a bed too."

"And just where do you plan on putting said bed?"  Brian asked, intrigued by the thought of Gus having his own bed.  He had thought about it a while back, but there had been so much going on, he'd forgotten about the purchase. 

Gus looked at his father and recognized the familiar look on his face.  His father was not just letting him dream, it appeared that he was at least somewhat open to the idea.

 "Maybe in the area by the kitchen,"  Gus said, thinking about the room in question.  He wasn't certain, but he thought it might be big enough to put a bed into.  "I heard Mama and Mom talking about how you didn't even have a bed for me.  Maybe if we get a bed...."  He didn't finish the sentence as he was not really clear on why the comment was made but thought he should share it with his father.

Brian's ears perked up when Gus mentioned his mothers.  He'd been hoping that they decided to leave their pettiness behind them, but it appeared that his hopes were dashed.  "Sure, we could go buy you a bed. "It's pretty tiny in there.  But I guess I can move the stuff into storage.  We could work on it tomorrow," Brian said, mentally thinking about what was in the room.  He rarely went in there and this would be a good time to empty it out and get rid of stuff he didn't use anymore.  He didn't like clutter, and truth be told, he would like a place for Gus to have his things when he visited.

"Not sure Justin would be interested in shopping with us, but we can ask him when he gets here.  Speaking of Justin, I think we better go shopping or we won't have any time to cook dinner,"  Brian said as he reached to open the car door.

Gus got out and the two of them walked toward the store.  "Could we go to IKEA and try the meatballs?  That could be part of our outing," Gus asked, thinking that going to a furniture store to eat meatballs sounded like fun.

"I think that could be arranged.  I guess I have come a long way if I'm agreeing to eat meatballs at IKEA," Brian said, tongue in cheek, but realizing he would do anything for his son.

"This is so exciting.  I've never had a new bed before," Gus said as he practically skipped toward the automatic doors in front of the grocery store.

Brian took out his phone and scrolled to the text with the recipe that Emmett had sent him earlier in the week.  "Emmett says we need 2 pounds of chicken, dijon mustard, and honey.  And some rice."  They walked through the store, a little more familiar with the layout than they were a few weeks ago, gathering all the ingredients for their cooking adventure.  Brian also picked up some Guava juice and some apples.  He still wasn't ready to go all out and pick up food for all their meals over the weekend but admitted that maybe someday that could happen.

They checked out and drove home, unloading the groceries and placing them on the counter. 

"Let's wash our hands before we get started," Brian instructed, smiling at his own version of a PSA.  Justin was rubbing off of him.

"Justin said we should gather all the ingredients before we start, measuring them out so they are ready to use," Brian said, opening the drawers in his kitchen looking for the one containing the measuring spoons and cups.  "Of course, it is his kitchen and he knows where everything is."  Brian looked at Gus and asked, "Where does Emmett keep the measuring spoons?  You've been cooking with him and I have no idea where he put them."

Gus laughed, "That's funny Dad.  It's your kitchen and you have no idea where anything is. I'll show you,"  Gus said, pulling out the correct kitchen drawer.  "Aunty Emm said that the measuring items need to be near the cooking space and told me this is the place that makes the most sense.  He said that you have a cook's dream for a kitchen. Whatever that means.  He must have oohed and ahhed a gazillion times that first week we cooked."

"I bet he was amusing.  I really appreciate him teaching you to cook and hanging out so I can attend a meeting on Saturday night. It means a lot,' Brian said as he reached out to ruffle Gus' hair.  "I guess I better wash my hands again, after touching your hair.  Justin is all about washing hands.  I swear that man must have a clean fetish"

"What's a fetish?" Gus asked.

"It's something a person is obsessed with," Brian answered.

"Oh. But I guess that works out for you because you are always telling me to clean up after myself.  You are always so clean," Gus said.

Brian had never really thought about how Justin's frequent mandate to wash their hands when cooking could compare to his desire for a clean home, but I guess there were some similarities.  However, he'd been in Justin's home and while not dirty, it was definitely lived in.  Brian thought that his clean fetish only involved the kitchen.  That was probably because the man could put away an enormous amount of food.  He was always amazed at Justin's eating and the amount of food he ate without gaining weight. 

After washing his hands again, Brian gathered all the ingredients for their dinner and placed them on the counter.  Brian placed his phone in a phone stand that he had in the kitchen.  He often used the stand so he could walk around his home without holding it in his hand.  Brian took out the pan for the chicken and turned on the oven.  Brian said," Okay Gus, why don't I watch you do the cooking and I'll help.  This will be your show."

"Really.  You think I can do this?" Gus said, surprised that his father didn't want to run the show.

"Sure, Sonny Boy.  You've been cooking with Emmett for over a month and you are the one who said that you were ready to have the family over.  Show me your stuff,"  Brian said, smiling and feeling a sense of pride for his son.

"Okay."  Gus looked at the phone and read the recipe several times before starting.  "Aunty Emm always says you should read the recipe at least 2 times before starting to make sure you have all the ingredients and kind of figure out how to do it.  Does Justin do the same thing?"

"Sort of.  He doesn't read the recipes over since we have only made stuff that he's familiar with.  I think he puts out the recipe for my benefit.  When we made Indian food last night, he didn't even look at the recipe but he had it out so I could read it."  Brian remembered his comment to Justin about all the steps and how he remembered them.  Brian thought that once he cooked something a few times, he probably would not need a recipe either. 

Gus nodded and then started cooking.  Brian sat on the stool by the island, watching and ensuring that Gus didn't need any help. 

"Okay, Dad.  You get to put it in the oven,"  Gus said, nodding his head in the direction of the oven.  "Aunty Emm says he should be the one to put the pans in and out of the oven. He told me you would kill him if I got burned."

"Well, I don't know if kill is the correct term, but I would not be happy.  How long does the chicken need to cook?"  Brian asked as he grabbed the pan and placed it in the oven.

"For 45 minutes and then we are supposed to open the oven and spoon the juices over the chicken and let it cook for another 15 minutes."  Gus looked at the clock on the oven and said,  "That should be just right.  It's 5:00 now and Justin should be here at 5:30.  I can finish my homework before he comes over."

Brian smiled at Gus.  "I'm glad that you are thinking ahead.  If we're going to buy you that bed, we will have a busy weekend.  Why don't you go start your homework and I'll go look at the room off the kitchen."

Gus grabbed his backpack and sat at the other end of the kitchen island, pulling out his books to complete his math homework. Brian walked into the room off the kitchen and looked around.  It wasn't a big room, but he could probably put a futon in it.  The futon would stay in couch form except when Gus would be sleeping.  That way, there would still be room to store some of the things but give Gus some privacy and a separate place to sleep and store his gear.  He was right when he told Brian that Brian has a fetish about cleaning his loft. 

The buzzer rang and Gus went over to the door, pushing the intercom.

 "It's Justin, buzz me up." 

Gus buzzed him up and yelled out, "Dad.  Justin's here.  I let him up, he should be here in a minute."

"Okay."  Brian came out of the spare room and opened the door as he waited for Justin.  When Justin got off the elevator, he let him in.

"Smells good in here.  I understand that I am supposed to be the food critic tonight.  If the smell is any indication, I will give you 5 stars,"  Justin said as he hung his messenger bag on the hook by the door.  

"The chicken will be done in about half an hour.  I have to finish my homework.  We're going to buy me a bed tomorrow.  Do you want to come? Dad said we can go to IKEA and eat meatballs."  Gus said as he rattled off all the important things running in his mind.

Justin opened and closed his mouth, without saying anything, looking at Brian for guidance.  He wasn't sure how Brian felt about this activity and didn't want to get him riled again.  Last night had been eye-opening, seeing Brian almost shut down right before his eyes had been a little disconcerting.  He was pleased with himself that he'd been able to stop Brian from going down the rabbit hole.  They hadn't really talked about Brian's reaction to his question about drinking, but he felt he had deflected the situation well. 

"Gus told me he'd like a bed of his own and thought the little room off the kitchen would suit his purposes.  I agreed that we could clean it out and then go to IKEA.  You are welcome to pass on this little excursion," Brian said, tongue in cheek. 

"That sounds like a great outing.  I've put together a few IKEA pieces and they are pretty challenging.  I could help you put the bed together,"  Justin offered as he remembered the last time he had put together an IKEA piece of furniture.  It had taken twice the amount of time that the instructions had stated and he wondered for the first month if it would hold together.  He had been pleased that the table was still together and one of the most sturdy pieces of furniture he had in his home. 

"Yeah," Gus piped up from the kitchen island.  Dad said we had to clean out the room.  Maybe we could do that after dinner.  Do you think you and Dad could put the bed together tomorrow so I could sleep on it tomorrow night?"

"I don't know, Gus.  But if we can't get it together tomorrow, we'll have it for you by next weekend,"  Brian promised. 

"Actually, Brian... I hate to be the buzzkill, but it might take longer than that.  IKEA usually takes a few weeks to get something shipped out," Justin said.

Gus frowned and pouted.

"In the meantime, we can think about how we want to set up your room.  Who knows, it might not take that long," Brian said, trying to lighten the mood.

The buzzer went off in the kitchen.  "Time to spoon the juices over the chicken," Gus said to both of the men.

Justin followed Brian into the kitchen and watched as he took the chicken out of the oven, placing the pan on the stovetop.  Gus went over to the pan and spoon the juices over the chicken pieces. When he was satisfied that all pieces were moist, he said, "Almost done.  Dad, I'll set the time for another 15 minutes."

Brian put the chicken in the oven and turned toward Justin. " Let's set the table.  You know where stuff is. Unlike me, you have been in my kitchen a time or three,'  Brian said, tongue in cheek.  "Gus had to show me where he and Emmett put the measuring cups and spoons.  Sad to say that I know where those items are in your kitchen and not in my own."

Justin and Brian set the table and chatted about their day while the chicken finished cooking.  Gus closed his math book and said, "Done.  I'm so excited about the chicken.  I hope it is good."

"I'm sure it will be great, Gus.  Your dad took to cooking like he'd been doing it all his life."

A few minutes later the buzzer dinged again and Brian took the chicken out of the oven.  He'd bought a premade salad and loaf of Italian bread to go with the chicken and had put the salad in a large bowl when they were waiting for the chicken to finish cooking.  He placed the bread on a plate and put that out next to the salad bowl.

"Grab your plates and let's eat," Brian said.

Each of them grabbed their plate, filling it with food, and then returned to the table. Gus was the first one to cut into his chicken and taste it. 

"Awesome!"  Gus said when he tasted the fruit of his labors.  "This is so easy.  I bet everyone will be so impressed.

Brian smiled at Gus' enthusiasm.  He was pleased that Gus liked cooking.  He tasted his chicken as well.  "I agree, awesome," Brian said as he went to cut another bite.

Justin tasted the chicken as well.  "I'm impressed, Gus. Soon, you'll be telling us that you want to be on Junior Chefs." 

Gus laughed.  "No.  I don't think so.  Those guys are making up their own recipes.  I'm not ready for that yet.... But maybe someday.  I'm just glad you guys like it.  Aunty Emm will be so happy that it turned out good." 

"I'm being usurped by Emmett. What has the world come to?" Brian said, putting his hand on his forehead in an exaggerated expression of excitement.

Justin laughed, but Gus asked, "What does usurped mean?"

"I guess today is also a vocabulary day.  Usurped means to take a position of power.  Emmett is taking over the cooking skills, he is usurping my power over you."

"Dad, you're silly.  Aunty Emm is only teaching me to cook.  He's not usurping you. That is a strange word.  I don't know if I like it,"

"I'm just teasing you, Gus.  I know Emmett would never try to take my place."

"Oh.  Okay.  But seriously, you like the chicken?"

"Yes, it is very good.  Not dry and the flavors are good," Justin said, giving an honest opinion.

"Thanks, Justin,"  Gus said, beaming at the compliment.

"I agree. Although the honey seems a lot," Biran said, always mindful of his weight.

"We could have made something different, Dad.  I wouldn't have minded." Gus said, upset that his father didn't like the ingredients.

"Gus, this is fine.  If I hadn't bought the ingredients or found the recipe, I would have had no idea that there was that much honey in it.  I just try to stay away from a lot of sugar.  The honey doesn't make the chicken too sweet, it is just the right amount.  I'd make it again," Brian assured his son.  "I'm just really fussy with my eating habits."

"You sure? Dad"  Gus asked, wanting to verify that his father was really okay with the dish.

"Yes, Gus.  I shouldn't have said anything.  Sometimes I get a little too concerned about my eating habits. 

Gus was placated and ate a few more bites of his chicken.  " Do you think we could start on the room after dinner? I finished all my homework."

"I think that we could manage that."  Turning toward Justin, Brian said, "You're welcome to leave while we work on the room.  I'm sure that isn't what you planned for your Friday night."

Justin finished the food that he was eating and said, "I'll help.  I have nothing better to do tonight.  It's still weird not going to a meeting on Friday night. When we were going to meetings every night, I didn't have to think about my plans."

Brian appreciated Justin's offer to help and was glad to have someone else assist.  He wasn't sure how long Gus would be willing to help or how much help he would need.  Having another adult there would be helpful.

After dinner was finished, the three of them cleaned up and Brian placed the leftovers in a glass container.  "We'll even have some leftovers.  You did a great job for your first solo cooking attempt." 

Gus beamed at his father's praise.  "So can we get started on the room?" Gus asked, excited to get started on the project.

"Yes.  Let's see what is in there,' Brian said.

The three of them worked for several hours and cleared out much of the items in the room.  Brian placed some boxes in the storage area and threw away some odds and ends.  Brian wasn't one to collect a lot of things; so after placing things on the bookshelves, moving a few boxes of trophies and awards from Brian's high school and college days, the room had a large empty space in the middle. 

"Is it big enough for a bed, Dad?"  Gus asked, hoping the answer was yes.

Brian said, "let's see." and went back into the kitchen to grab his tape measure.  While he was not a do it yourselfer, he did have a few basic items like scissors, tape, and a tape measure as well as a flat screwdriver and a Phillips head screwdriver.  He even had a hammer in the drawer.  Brian took the tape measure and measured the space in the room.  It measured 7 feet by 9 feet after he left room for the bookshelf and the door to open.  "I think this should be plenty big enough.  I'll type the dimensions in my phone so when we go to the store, I've got them."

Gus said, "Yeah.  Do you think we can put it together tomorrow?"

"I told you, Gus, it depends on how quickly we find a futon for you.  We'll do our best.  If not, maybe I can talk Justin into helping me one day this week." 

"Thank you, Dad,"  Gus said and hugged his father.  "I better go shower and get to sleep.  Just think, it might be the last time I sleep in your bed, Dad."  Gus left the room and went toward Brian's bedroom. 

"He's really excited about the bed,"  Justin said.  "I know he has his heart set on getting it to put together tomorrow, but I'm not even sure if we could get it to your house.  You'd probably have to pay for it to be delivered.  I know Gus will be disappointed, but if we can't build it tomorrow, I'm sure he'll enjoy picking it out,"  Justin said, guessing  Brian had not thought about those details. 

"Shit.  I didn't even think about setting it up.  But you're right.  Feel free to excuse yourself from our shopping palooza at any time,"  Brian joked. He heard Gus call for him from the bedroom.  "I'll be right back."

Brian tucked Gus in and told him about Justin's plan to buy linens and a few other decorations.  He was disappointed that the bed would not be ready for sleeping tomorrow, but told Brian, "I can't wait for us to try the meatballs.  I bet Aunty Emm would be jealous.  Love you, Dad,"  Gus sat up and gave Brian a kiss and then lay down, closing his eyes to go to sleep.

Brian bent down to kiss him and then shut out the light and joined Justin in the living area. 

Justin said, "I know it's early, but I have a few things that I need to do if I'm going to spend all day with you and Gus.  I think I'm going to head out."  Justin walked toward the door where his messenger bag was hanging and grabbed it off the hook.

"Thanks for coming tonight.  Gus did a great job.  All I did was watch him and put the chicken in the oven.  He's still a little inexperienced to be handling a heavy pan with chicken.  We'll see you at about 10:00 tomorrow.  That should be plenty of time to shop, eat meatballs, and get the other stuff for the room.  Thanks for offering to help,"  Brian leaned over to give Justin a hug, noticing how he smelled like the chicken they had eaten mixed with a whiff of lemon.  He had never noticed how Justin smelled and found he liked the scent. 

"Later.  See you tomorrow.  The meatballs are good.  Don't worry, I won't tell you what is in them,"  Justin teased as he walked out the door. 

Brian watched him leave, thinking that he was sad to see his friend go.  He would have liked to spend a few hours just hanging out with him.  He didn't realize that his desires were mirrored by Justin.  He turned on the tv and watched a news channel for a bit and then grabbed the Big Book off his bookshelf, reading for a bit before joining Gus. 

TBC