CHAPTER 18 - PARENTAL STYLES.  BLAKE SPEAKS AND SO DOES RUTH

JENNIFER

“Carl, may I have some more wine please?” Emmy asks, holding out his glass.

“Sure. Actually, I think we need to do champagne. Debs, do we have some?”

“No, but that’s easily sorted. Ben, can you collect Hunter and some champagne? He should be here; he’s family and part of the wedding party.”

“Emmy Lou, can you go with him?” Justin asks, reaching for his wallet. “You know what we like.”

“Of course Baby. Both I think. Now nobody is to have a meltdown while we’re gone! Ben, call Hunter now that way we can grab and go. I’m not sure how long they can hold it together!”

“Don't worry, Emmy. I’ll record anything that happens!” Blake calls out.

The door closes on both of them guffawing, which seems to bring them out of their near catatonic state.

“Brian?” Lindsay’s eyes fill with tears. “Please Peter... I know I have made mistakes but this will be your special day and…”

“There is no more Peter. And it was Thursday.” Brian interrupts sharply.

“What about it?” She snivels.

“Thursday was our special day. The day of the blessing is mainly for Gus as I promised him he could carry the rings. Oh, can you ring Ruth?”

Justin frowns and then giggles, shaking his head. “Only you. Hey Ruth, we’re at Debs and Carl’s. Can you come? No, there is nothing wrong with the car! Okay, where are you? Blake, can you call Emmy and ask them to pick up Ruth? She’s at Delicious Foods. Oh and actually, can you grab champagne? Blake, tell Emmy that Ruth’s on it.”

“Excuse me a minute.” Mel gets up as JR starts to cry but she pauses. “Care to bring down your son, Justin, as he will most likely have woken up?”

Justin nods and follows her up. The room descends into silence. Michael still hasn't said anything; he’s just staring ahead.

“Brian, please can you reconsider your decision?” Lindsay asks and Brian’s face hardens instantly. “No, I don't mean that! I mean not letting me be involved in it. I want to help you…”

“Us.”

“Yes of course, I mean you both. I want you both to have the day that…”

“Emmy is going to make the day perfect for us, thank you. And even if he wasn't, you still wouldn't be involved.” Justin tells her as he brings a still slightly sleepy Gus to me to hold.

My grandson! He’s my grandson...mine!

“Brian, why are you doing this to me?” Michael finally speaks, his voice full of whine and pitiful patheticness.

“Doing what to you?” He asks, sipping on the remains of his red and I can see the tightening of his hand on the glass. Then I see the little fire in Michael’s eyes.

“Cutting me out of your life! I’ve been nothing but…”

“A meddlesome, bothersome, crashing boar?” Blake asks.

“Cut that out!” Debs snaps.

“Thank you Ma. At least someone…”

“Not Blake, I mean you!” She glowers at him. “Stop pushing his buttons!”

Michael looks angrily at her then stands up. “Excuse me, I need some air.”

“Perhaps it will jump start your heart to show happiness for your best friend!” Blake shoots daggers at his back as he leaves.

“Uh, thanks Blake.” Brian looks surprised. I don’t think he’s ever been defended by Blake.

“You’re welcome.” Blake smiles at him.

Staring out of the window, he turns to Justin. “I suppose I should…”

“Yeah, you should.” He replies quietly.

BACK GARDEN

MICHAEL

I don’t believe it! I won’t believe it! I wait and sure enough the door opens. I try to hide the smile as the back door opens. I fold my arms and wait for him to speak.

“I suppose this is the moment where you pretend not to be smirking at his capitulation. Well keep pretending. He’s asking Ruth to be his best woman so he could be a while.” Justin calls out before shutting the door firmly.

Two minutes later, the door opens again and this time I turn round to give Boy Wonder a piece of my mind, but it’s Lindsay. “Well what do you think of that, then?”

“What do you think I think?!” I whisper harshly at her. “This is farcical! But for him to boot us out of…”

“Champagne’s being popped!” Emmett calls through the door.

“We’ll talk tomorrow. And believe me, we have a lot to talk about! Meanwhile, let’s make nice and supportive!”

LOUNGE

As we head back inside, everyone has moved from the dining table and Gus is now in his stepfather’s arms. He’s holding a watch like it’s the Holy Grail.

“Look mommy! Daddy and Daddy Justin have matching wedding watches. Daddy Justin said I could get one for the wedding.”

“That’s nice, Lambskin. May I have a look?”

“You can look but I’m going to hold it. It’s very special.” Gus wiggles out of his arms and comes over with it. “It’s going to get special writing on the back.”

I look at the watch and gasp. It looks very expensive.

“Uh Brian, I don’t want to seem like I’m…” Lindsay starts.

“Not that watch Lindsay. We said he is getting a watch.” Brian interrupts a bit too sharply for my liking.

“Are you going to come down or not?!” Emmett shouts up the stairs.

“What’s going on?” I ask Lindsay and she shrugs.

“For crying out loud, hold your horses! Looking this cool takes time!” Ruth shouts back down.

Mel is giggling about something as she comes down the stairs. “Oh Jen, you were so right about that coat. It’s perfection but where did you find that other bag? Same charity shop?”

“Yes. Whoever put those in there must have been having a mass clear out.” She ruffles Gus’s hair as he makes his way back to Step-Boy Wonder.

“Okay Debs, are you absolutely sure about this?” Ruth comes down, wearing the coat that Jennifer had shown us earlier but she also has a leather bag.

“Oh yes, absolutely sure honey! This is the least I can do!” Ma is sniffling. “You’ve made my boy so happy!”

NO SHE FUCKING HASN’T!!

“So what do you think, ladies? Actually skip that, what do you think Emmy?”

“I think whoever got rid of this is a fool, but it is perfection. The bag is big enough for all your knick-knacks “

“So Ruth, I take it you’ve agreed to be Brian’s best woman during his blessing ceremony?” Lindsay asks her. “It must have been a surprise to be asked. I had no idea you and Brian were so close.”

“Known him since I was seven. Used to be in the same neighbourhood. Been friends, despite some folks’ best efforts, ever since.”

“Seven? You mean you met her before you met me?” I gape at Brian. “You never said anything. I mean, when we first met her...”

“Wasn’t aware I should’ve done so. It wasn’t particularly your business.” He replies. “But now you know so there you go.”

“Daddy Justin, am I with you and daddy next weekend?”

“Yes Gus, you are.” The smile he gives him is huge. “But we won't be at the loft. We will be somewhere else.”

“Where? You can’t have him at Britin.”  Lindsay points out.

“Lindsay, he will be with his fathers on their weekend. You had yours and they never demanded to know where you were going.” Ted retorts.

“Ted, this conversation has nothing to do with you so if…”

“And their weekend plans with my grandson have nothing to do with you.” Ma tells her.

“I’m Gus’s mother! I have the right to know where he is!” She repeats. “So where are you taking him, Brian?”

“We’ve not decided yet but it will involve shopping. Mel, I understand that Gus’s toy cupboard has a lot more space now.” Brian smiles at Mel, who is shaking with laughter. “Whatever should we fill it with, clothes, shoes or bags? You know things that a growing boy needs.”

Now Ma, Jennifer, Ruth and Emmy are laughing.

“What’s so funny?” I ask but nobody answers me. “I asked what is so damn funny?!”

“Nothing, nothing at all.” Mel replies, having composed herself. “Right Gus, you need to say goodbye. You’ve got school and you need to have a bath.”

“But momma…”

“Gus.” Brian hunkers down to him. “You have to be a good big boy and go home. Then you can be one sleep closer to seeing us next weekend for our boys’ weekend.”

“So how many sleeps until I see you both?”

“After this one, it will be five or if you are good all week for momma and at school, it could be four…”

“Bye daddy, bye daddy Justin!  Come on momma!”

“Uh Gus, slow down. JR isn't ready yet.”  Mel laughs.

“See daddies, I wanted to go but JR…”

“Gus, is what you’re going to say going to be kind about JR?” Justin asks sternly and the room goes quiet. I can feel Lindsay’s anger.

“No, daddy Justin.” Gus replies quietly.

“What have I told you about being kind about JR as she’s so little and can’t do things for herself?”

“I should be patient as I was the same when I was that little.” He looks at the floor and is quiet for a while. “Sorry, daddy Justin.”

“Good boy Gus.”

“C-can I still come and see you at the weekend?”

“Now look what you’ve done!” I snap at him.

“Michael, be quiet! Justin has got this!” Carl lectures me.

OF COURSE HE DOES! HE CAN DO NO FUCKING WRONG!

“Gus.” Boy Wonder picks him up and sits him on his lap. “Of course, you’re still coming to see us. Why on earth would you think you’re not?”

“Be-because before when I’ve been bad and said sorry, I still got punished.” He whispers.

“Well that’s not going to happen from now on.” Justin looks at Brian, who nods. “I think the one thing we need to discuss is how we discipline the children so it’s consistent.”

“Now just a minute! You aren’t going to discipline JR!”

“Mom, can you take Gus upstairs for me please?”

“Of course sweetheart; Debs come with me. And Mel, how about we bathe the children? Debs has PJs here right?  That way they can go straight to bed when they get home?”

“Please, that would be perfect.”

As they go upstairs, Boy Wonder turns to me. “Nobody said anything…”

“She is not your daughter and you don’t get a say!” I remind him sharply.

“And Gus is not your son and you don’t get a say!” Hunter snaps back.

“What are you talking about?” Emmett looks between Hunter and me.

“When he was behaving like the asshole he is yesterday, he told me to take his son away from the dogs.”

“Oh you did, did you? Funny how you can suddenly play daddy for anything that relates to Brian, isn’t it?” Blake starts in again at me.

TED

“What is your problem?!” Michael demands.

“You don’t let him breathe!” He yells back. “You behave like Brian can’t function without you but he can. But you won’t let him because truth be told, you can’t function knowing he’s not going to be your backup plan!”

“Blake, you’re new to the family, so you don’t…” But Blake’s certainly not done.

“And you’re even worse!” He whirls around to face Lindsay, who was about to pacify and criticize as she usually does. “You drip sugar and spice and all things nice but you stab him in the back and pour acid in the wound. How dare you abuse him like that? Yes, it is abuse! Debs said it earlier to stop pushing his buttons and you two know just which ones they are. Brian has a tell, when he just wants it to stop. I want everyone to know this so you can watch out for it and back the fuck off…”

“He grips...” Ruth interrupts and Justin nods. “We got you. Ease on up, sweetheart.”

I watch as Brian, the guy who I have been at first hateful and jealous of and now have a deep affection in a completely non-sexual way for, loosens his hold on his glass and watches the whiteness of his knuckles fade.

“Haven’t heard that for years.” His voice is quiet.

“She used to say it to him all the time.” Ruth pours him another glass of wine. “I’ll get you home, and yes you can have the car for a week to make sure it works practically.”

“Who did?” Carl asks.

“My mom. She used to say it when we were on the verge of losing it.”

“Well, thank you for that trip down memory lane.” Lindsay’s showing her true colours once again.

“And there’s the acid. You just can’t bear it, can you? To your mind, it’s bad enough that Justin has talent but is not taking advantage of it the way your inner-Stage Mother wants him to. But now you’re sitting there thinking one thing and one thing only...” Blake is firing on all cylinders. “And that’s, did he fuck her?”

“We did not fuck, thank you very much!” Ruth bridles.

“Oh and why ever not?” Michael sneers.

“Because we made love. Sober and more than once.” She turns to Justin. “Seriously, how do you sit after that?!”

“Depending on how rampant he’s been...carefully! Very carefully!”

“Speaking of rampant...” Brian takes Justin’s glass and puts it on the table. “You need to make love to me all over the loft. Let’s go!”

CAR BACK TO THE LOFT - 30 MINUTES LATER

BRIAN

“Stop it! Stop! Stop making that face!” I gasp about between guffawing.

“Oh God! Oh! I can’t wait to tell my mom this!” Justin is almost heehawing as we make our way home. Our legs are entwined in the middle of the back seat and I’m pulling the hairs on his calf to stop him from mimicking their expressions. “Ouch, okay stopping! But their faces! What on earth made you say that?!”

“Ah, she was fucking me off! But you were on it!” Ruth manages to get out between laughing and coughing. Another childhood reminder, sometimes she would laugh so much she’d have a coughing fit.

“Sweeties! That has got to be the funniest thing I have ever heard. We made love, sober and more than once from a woman talking about Big Bad!” Emmy is in the front seat, cackling like only he can.

We settle down to recover from the laughing jag before Emmy turns to me. “I’m sorry Brian.”

“What for?”

“I used to tease you about your white knuckle clutch. Obviously not when you could hear me but I had no idea…”

“So, um Blake…”

“Hey don’t swerve it. You might not like you but we do.” Ruth berates me. “But yeah Blake, no prizes for guessing who’s topping tonight!”

And she’s off coughing and laughing.