CHAPTER 70 - THE LAW ACCORDING TO GUS

JUSTIN’S HOUSE - THURSDAY MORNING

BEDROOM

JUSTIN

I tilt my hips up then spread my legs wider. His hot mouth is doing such wonderful things to my cock. It’s a divine way to wake up. I pull at his hair and we lock eyes. His are dancing because mine are more than likely starting to get crossed!

“S-so oh good! Please now! Please now!” I chant and after a gentle tap on my hot spot, I unload copious amounts down his throat. After I almost curl in on myself I flop back, taking in lungfuls of air.

“Mmmm oh yeah!” He growls into my stomach and shivers. “Come down here.” He murmurs and I slide to the bottom of the bed and we wind ourselves around each other. “Look, we’re a little ball of hot and sticky sexy love.” I just nod. “Are we getting out of bed?” I wrap my legs tighter around him. “Good answer.”

DINER

REGINALD/HUGO

Kiki puts the coffee in front of me and it isn't until she walks away that I notice the note. She has written down a list of names and who they are partnered with. Why? I have no idea so I tuck the note away and nod at her.

“Hi-hi!” Emmett slides into the booth with a smile. “Before we start our debate, I must have the breakfast plate. I cannot fight on an empty stomach. Kiki darling, the BP with coffee and extra bacon please!”

“Coming up!” She yells back. “Tony…”

“Heard it! Got it!” Comes the voice.

“Good morning!” I look up in surprise at the young voice and see a little boy standing by the counter with a little girl no bigger than him. I look around and nobody seems to be phased or paying them any attention. So I start to get up but Emmett waves me back down before turning to face them. After a few beats, he smiles.

“Gussie, Chandra you can come over now! Kiki, G&C are coming through!”

“Holding plates!” She shouts back from the hatch.

I watch astounded as these two little children make their way carefully to the back booth and then take off their backpacks and look at me. “Excuse me sir, but could you put our packs on the shelves behind you please?” The little girl asks and mutely I do as I’m politely asked. I swear, they’re like mini-adults!

“Thank you.” She turns to Emmett. “Is he a new friend of yours, Auntie Emmy?”

“He is indeed. His name is R...Hugo. Hugo, this is Miss Chandra and this is Master Gus, Miss Chandra, Master Gus this is Hugo.”

“Nice to meet you.” Chandra reaches for my hand to shake but Gus is a little shyer.

“Nice to meet you Chandra and whenever you’re ready to meet me Gus, let me know.”

“Thank you Hugo, I will.” He gives me a small smile.

“Good morning. Mind if I join you?”

“Of course not!” Emmett grins. “Hugo meet David, David meet Hugo.” I feel a press on my foot and I press back. David and I shake hands and soon he is telling us about the antics of his new puppy, Grace. “Oh she sounds adorable! Are we officially forgiven now?”

“Officially?” I query.

“We engineered a meet.” He looks proud. “And oh, wait let me show you something…” By the time he’s finished showing me the video of Novotny getting nutted, I have tears running down my face.

“Seriously, three stores for pecans!” A tall man grumbles. “This had better be worth it.”

“Oh it will be, now Ben, this is Hugo. Hugo this is Ben, my partner.” Ben winks as he shakes my hand.

Soon the booth is crowded, when two other people come in and are introduced...Hunter and Daphne...the people in the next booth simply move to the counter without being asked. Now the note from Kiki is beginning to make sense...I wouldn’t remember half these people! Then two women come in with a buggy and the most adorable baby I have ever seen. Mel and Leda smile as Ruby is toted on Leda’s hip. I love babies! “May I hold her?”

“Of course! Gives me a chance for coffee.” She laughs and hands her over. Gus watches me carefully.

Ruby, is, at first a little upset to be parted from her mother, but she soon settles and is waving her little arms and legs about. “So she’s premie, how were the shots?”

“Horrendous.” Mel shudders. “I cried more than she did.”

“Dior? Is she seriously wearing Dior socks?” Both booths nod. “So solids... what she like on them?” I ask and wave at Kiki. “Dry scrambled eggs, made with half and half and no salt. In a clean pan with scant butter.”

“Got it.” She smiles and heads to the hatch.

“You have kids?”

“Godfather to three. Apparently I have a way with them.” Still Gus watches.

Kiki returns with the eggs and puts them in front of me. “Now my momma taught me this. The trick is to let them get the scent of the food. So let her sniff it first…” I put some eggs under her nose and she looks confused and a minute or so later, there it is...the tongue flicks out. I give her a small bit and she can’t quite understand what is in her mouth or why, but she knows she likes it. “Piece of advice. The nappies are going to be hideous. Don’t feed her beetroot at night because you don’t wanna see that in the morning and pumpkin or sweet potato puree mixed in the milk adds some natural sweetness.”

“Mommy, are you writing this down? Daddy and papa will want to know too!” Gus asks the question, without looking around.

“Holy Christ, what happened to you?!” Kiki cries out and everyone looks at the door.

Coming in is a man almost bent double and a woman limping. “They fell off the bed!” An elderly man laughs and soon I get to know them as Carl, Rodney, Vic and Debbie. Blake and David with the help of Ben take them to the office to make sure they are alright.

But still Gus watches me.

Finally, I can bear it no longer. “Gus, why are you watching so intently?”

“What does intly mean?”

“It’s in-tent-ly sweetie. And it means to look at something with great interest or thought.” Emmett explains.

“I’m watching to see how you do it. Momma can write it down and stuff but I need to watch how you do it. So we don’t make Ruby cry when we do it without you.”

I do believe I can hear polar ice caps melting!

“Hello everyone! I’m back!” Nobodny, as I have christened him, chirrups bouncing up and immediately I notice the change in Gus’s demeanour. There is a gap next to him and he seems to be sliding to the end of the seat to cover it.

“Gus!” I whisper. “Under the table and over here, you too Chandra!”

While Nobodny is genuflecting at his own altar, there is a quick switcheroo of seating. When he turns back to us he looks confused but sits down next to Emmett, who wrinkles his nose.

“Does anybody smell fish? I can definitely…”

“I was in London!” Nobodny interrupts quickly. “And coming back, I met Hughie...I mean Hugo, he doesn’t like his name shortened.” He winks at me and I have to look at him a little longer than I want to. I’m trying to determine just what that crust in the corner of his eye is, plus it’s a bit discoloured. He may have conjunctivitis; his eye took so long to open again! “Hello Gussie, how are you? Did you miss me?”

“No.”

The booths goes quiet...even Ruby turns her head.

“Gus?” Chandra looks at him. “You okay, bestie?”

“I will be.”  He replies and judging by the expression on Emmett’s face and his rapid texting, something is very wrong in Gus’s world!

“Uh Hugo should I…?” Leda asks getting up for Ruby and I quickly hand her over.

“Gus...” Nobodny glares at him. “I’m your daddy’s oldest and best friend and I will not be spoken to like that by you.”

“Why by me? How come you can say what you want but I can’t?”

The diner gets quieter.

“Gus, you will apologise right now! You are being very rude!”

I feel the tremble in this little man’s body and when Mel gets up, I glare at her until she sits down.

“No.”

“Apologise immediately!” Nobodny demands.

“M-my daddy always says to be tr-truthful to yourself. And to be-behave in a good way an-and…”

Chandra looks at me as if begging for help. I am more than happy to oblige.

I turn to him and tilt up his chin. When I see tears in his eyes, I want to rip Nobodny’s head off. Instead I wipe away an errant tear and smile. “Gus, take a deep breath and get your thoughts in order. When you are ready, then you speak.” He nods and gives me another small smile. “Do you want to sit on my lap?”

“Ye-yes please.”

“Are you ready to apologise now?” Nobodny demands.

“I am not going to say sorry to you! You upset a lot of people. You do silly horrible things and think it is okay. It’s not! You ruined our first day of comic camp. You shouted at Chandra and were mean to Rebecca even after she said sorry. You keep getting in the way of big-big kisses with my daddies and then you hurt my daddy at our party and made him all snuffily and gave him pink eyes! A best friend doesn’t do that! A best friend is kind and brings you lollipops when you cry over a boo-boo...oh sorry Chandra! Nobody hearded that, okay? You do lots of things to lots of people and none of them nice! You make snorty noises when you see Auntie Emmy in pretty suits. You do the eye thing whenever daddy and papa do big-big kisses. You’ve been rude to Gr...Mr George and Mr Randolph. You’re mean to grandma and Uncle Carl, Uncle Rodney and Uncle Vic, yet you still haven’t said sorry for putting his box in the sea. And at the very toppest of my list is that you don’t like Ruby!”

“Gu…”

“You don’t! I knows you don’t! You’ve not picked her up or played with her. And I don’t like anyone who doesn’t like my sister or who hurts my daddies, my mommies or my friends. And that’s what you do, Mr Michael! You give heart owies and they are the worsted of all! Chandra and I fell out for a whole 20 minutes and I was heart broke! My daddy was crying with papa when he didn’t think I hearded but I did. I don’t like hearing my daddy cry because my daddy is so strong because he looks after all of us. So why as his best friend would you make him cry? You don’t do that. You just don’t.”

Now the diner is silent.

“Daddy…” Gus whispers and everyone looks to the door, but not me. I’m looking at Nobodny and he has a supercilious expression on his face and is nodding his head, as if he thinks Gus is about to be reprimanded. I keep watching him as Gus continues to address his father. “You said that I should be true to myself and point…”

And it starts with his daddy, the applause. It’s a mere ripple at first but then it gets louder and louder and when Kinney kneels down and opens his arms, Gus runs as fast as he can into them. The vibrations of the applause could shift the earth’s axis! Nobodny rolls his eyes, he really is an ugly person!

Kinney brings Gus back to the booth and as the applause dies down, he looks at Nobodny, who goes to speak but Kinney puts up his hand. “You heard it from me and now from my son. You just don’t do that!”