Chapter 2

Deb

He keeps on looking at the door as if his life depended on the right person coming through the door, and I would bet my entire life savings that the person he is waiting for is Brian. Why Michael is so fixated on him but can’t be anywhere near as focused on anything else in his life never ceases to amaze and frustrate me.

The sound of someone coughing behind me brings me out of my thoughts and Kiki tilts her head slightly in Michaels direction

“What is up with Michael? he looks like he’s about to burst.”

I look back over to the back booth where he is sat drinking a cup of coffee as slowly as he can as if to prolong his time being in the diner and decide that I should probably go and talk to him but I just know it’s not going to be a conversation that involves anything different from the usual things that he seems to think are the end of the world and i honestly don’t know if I can tolerate too many more conversations like that. I know he’s my son but everyone has their limits on bullshit and I am so very close to reaching mine.

Michael

I’ve been needing to speak to him for the last week but Brian is always busy, at least he said he is but I just can’t believe he’s so busy that he is ignoring his best friend. the last time I saw him he got really pissy about me asking for some money to help with some things but I can’t understand his problem with it since he’s got plenty of money to spare and after everything i’ve done for him in his life I figure he owes me so when I see him I will get an apology from him for his behaviour and then ask him again but this time I will just have to be a little more forceful in my approach. 

I can’t help but look up every time I hear the door go because he always come to the diner no matter how much of a mood he is in so if I am going to be able to catch him anywhere it’s going to be here. Looking at the time i do realise that It’s getting close to the time that kids are coming out of school and so i don’t have long before I need to get back to the shop so that I can be there for when the kids come in for their usual half an our browse before they just buy the latest comic book they usually buy. 

As I sit thinking through the various ways I can phrase things to Brian about how he practically owes me the money that i’m asking for from him and how really he wouldn’t even notice $100k missing from his bank balance since he has made Kinnetic such a big success a small but sharp smack to the back of my head brings my attention to my mom who is now glaring at me from the other side of the table.

“what are you doing? you’ve been sat nursing that cup of coffee for a long time, and i’m not stupid. Whatever it is that your doing or whoever it is you’re waiting for give up and get back to work, child support isn’t going to pay itself and if you still want to have a say in the things Jenny does you need to keep paying, and the only way you will have the money to pay it is if you actually work like everyone else does.” I can’t help but roll my eyes  which instantly results in her reaching across the table and smacking me in the head again.

“What the hell was that for, I didn’t say anything and…” i’m interrupted before I could continue speaking.

“You don’t have to say anything to be being rude, don’t ever roll your eyes at me like that again.” I hear the door go again but it’s still not Brian.

“Well I will get back to the store soon but i’m waiting for Brian as i need to discuss some important things with him.”

Deb

How did I raise him to be this way, where did i go wrong. I tried my best to raise him to be a good, strong and independent man but instead he just follows Brian around like a little puppy waiting for attention and he can’t seem to do anything unless he thinks it would either look good to Brian or impress him and worse is always expecting things from him when he will never even think of giving anything back in return. 

He says that he needs to talk to Brian about something important but I have a gut feeling that it’s just him wanting something from him again as it usually is. I saw Brian a few days ago when I dropped by his loft to see him because he didn’t come to dinner at mine and he told me all about Michael asking him for $100k, I can’t even begin to imagine what he would ever need that sort of money for. Sure his store isn’t the most successful business but then he sells comic books so it’s not exactly a fortune making opportunity but it definitely gives him enough to live on.

Brian has always been like another son to me and I will protect from anything and anyone I can but I can’t help but have my heart break slightly that these days i’m having to try and protect him from my own biological son. 

When we sat in his loft talking and smoking some weed, something I only ever really do with him, not only did I see him angry that Michael was just expecting him to give him such a large amount of money no questions asked but he also had a look of deep hurt in his eyes. The fact that someone he thought of for so many years as his best friend only has interest in his money and not him is something that would devastate anyone and he has spent the last week working every hour humanly possible working to hide how he’s feeling but I can see through it, I always can.

“what kind of important things, he’s very busy so it had better be life and death type of important because anything less than that he really doesn’t have time for right now from anyone.” 

Michael

How the hell does she know anything about how busy he is, nobody has been able to see him all week, he told me that he wasn’t seeing anyone at all because he was too busy. She must be lying and I hate it when people lie to me.

“how do you know ho busy he is?” I snap at her furious that she might know something about my best friend that I don’t.

“I went to his loft a few days ago and talked to him, he told me how hectic things are at Kinnetic at the moment and that he’s going to be working pretty much non stop on the campaigns he has right now.” she replies but I still don't get why she got in to his loft and when i’ve tried he clearly hasn’t been in or he would have let me in immediately. Before i have any chance to say anything else she stands up and moves to be next to me and reaches to grab my arm and lift me up out of the booth. 

“Like I said he doesn’t have time to sociable right now so why don’t you go back to work so you can support your daughter, it’s a much better use of your time right now.” I’m quickly ushered out off the door and I’m in shock, did my own mother just kick me out of the diner? What the hell did i do wrong? I start walking back towards my story and I just know that something will have to be done about this, as my mother she shouldn’t be doing that to me and i add her to the list of people who need to be put in their place.   

Kiki

I have waited so long for Deb to do that, I know that she has been getting more and more pissed off at Michael’s behaviour lately but this is the first tim that she has actually kicked him out of the diner, even if it was done subtly. I doubt that Michael will take the hint this time though but if this happens a few more times hopefully he will start to learn that his behaviour is wrong especially towards Brian. How does he seriously think that he is Brian’s best friend while constantly taking advantage of him and practically stalking him. 

“Well done, i’ve been waiting for you to do that for ages, in fact the entire avenue has. I know that kicking your own son out of the diner isn’t something you’ve ever wanted to do but it needed to be done.” I tell her as she comes back around the counter.

“I just wish he would get a grip on reality and see that all his pining for Brian is going to get him nowhere and in the meantime he has a gorgeous daughter who he could and should be focussing his time and money on.”

She looks so disappointed, more than I have ever seen when it comes to Michael and I can only hope that this is finally the time when his bullshit will stop getting a pass from her.

Deb

Looking at Kiki right now i can she how truly proud she is of me for finally taking a firmer stance on Michael and his behaviour and i have to admit I am proud of myself too. I guess for too long I was forgiving him a Little hastily or ignoring things because at the end of the day he is still my son and I do Love him but now he is more than overdue done tough love.

The door goes and I see Brian coming in with a young girl and a hot blonde guy and am so glad that Michael is not here right now. Having been told that Brian can’t socialise right now because of work, seeing this would infuriate him but I have to be honest I am a bit curious as to who they are as  I don’t think i’ve ever seen them before and certainly not with Brian. Once the three of them sit down I pick up my pad and make my way over to them.

“So, I’m guessing you’ll have your usual, Brian.” He gives me a brief nod and i write it down and the turn to look at the other two sat opposite him.

“And what would you two like?” They look at each other then at Brian and then back to me.

“Well what do you  think is best?” the young girl asks.

“I’d say a pink plate  special but i’ll warn you that this little asshole will just sit there moaning about all the calories your consuming..” Brian glares at me but he’s smirking slightly so I know he’s not really annoyed at me for saying that.

“As long as i’m not the one consuming that artery clogging monstrosity I don't give a fuck. Get them the pink plate special, we’ve got a lot of things to talk through and get to know about each other so they might as well pig out a little while we do that.”

“Oh yeah, since when do you get to know people unless forced into it?” I ask getting more and more curious about these two people.   

“Debs, This is Justin and Sophia, Justin and I hooked up 15 years ago and Sophia is our daughter. We will be having a DNA test to prove it before you ask but we wanted to get to know each other a little bit.”

“Fucking hell Brian, you know how to shock people. How long have you known, I hope not too long because keeping Gus from meeting his second sister would be a really shitty thing to do.” I tell him with my hands on my hips waiting for him to respond.

“We only told him today, I asked dad if I could meet him and this was the soonest we could get here.” I Look towards sophia who really does look like the perfect combination of these two men and smile.

“Well if you’re going to be a part of Brian’s life then you are part of my family so I expect you both to come along with Brian to dinner on Tuesday.”

“Are you sure, I mean we really don’t want to just bulldoze our way in to peoples lives.” Jesus christ this man is polite.

“Why is dinner happening on Tuesday? I thought you always did Sunday dinners, is everything okay?” Brian asks with a small bit of concern but mostly confusion.

“Carl is taking me away for a long weekend. He thinks I’ve been working too hard recently so he booked for us to have a small spa break and we come back Monday evening so I’ve moved dinner to Tuesday.”

“He’s right, you have been working too hard. Make sure that you keep your phone on silent, you’ll never relax if your constantly checking up on things here.” He tells me firmly and I can’t help but smile at him.

He may be an asshole but he’s an asshole with a heart of gold, even if he does try to hide it from the world. I gently stroke his cheek and then smile to Justin and Sophia before going to place their orders.

Justin

I don’t know what just happened, I’ve never had someone I don’t know just spontaneously invite me or my daughter to dinner before.

Sophia

What the hell just happened? I would ask dad what he thinks about that lady pretty much summoning our presence but he looks just as confused as I feel.

“Who was that lady?” I ask because judging by the way she spoke she’s obviously someone important in my papa’s life.

“That’s Debbie, she’s basically been my surrogate mother since I was 14, she’s also the matriarch or the queer community here. Any queer who ever needs anything, they all come to her and she supports them anyway she can.” He explains and a small smile plays on his face.

“If she’s like a mother to you why did she call you an asshole?” Dad queried and I have to admit that it does seem a bit unkind.

“Don’t pay attention to that too much, if she calls you an asshole it’s just like her letting you know she cares. It’s an affectionate thing, Besides I am an asshole so I can’t complain if she points it out.”

 Brian

Sophia looks as if she has a million questions rushing through her head and can’t quite figure out when to ask them or in what order to ask them. 

“Ever since I was little, Even though I didn’t know that much about you, I’ve always thought about you as being my papa. Do you mind if I call you that or would you rather I call you something else?”

I can’t help but be thrown a little by that question as it’s not something i’d thought about yet, but I guess it makes sense for her to keep to what she knows.

“Sure, If that’s all you’ve ever referred to me as, why change it now.” 

For the next 2 hour we sit in the diner swapping stories and asking each other questions and laughing like we had always been a family, even though we’d just met today. I can’t help but feel a little sad that i’ve missed out on her growing up but I am determined to make up for some of the time i’ve missed.