CHAPTER 13: PLAN AND REGROUP

MICHAEL:

“Well that answers that question! Thanks, Maw. I’ll be home as soon as I can find a way back there. That little shit is going to pay...and I mean PAY BIG! I can only hope he hasn’t heard everything. I can’t lose the element of surprise. And don’t worry about the shop. If all goes according to plan, I’ll be able to sell it and give you the proceeds for all you did to help me. But first, I have to make it back there and then get the records at the shop. I need to go over the books. Has Ted resurfaced yet?”

As I listen to her detail what she knows of the happenings in Pittsburgh, I am fuming! I can’t believe that fucking hustler told them where to find Brian’s car, and that he’s been back in Pittsburgh for over a week and no one told me! I finally broke down after three days to tell Brian that I couldn’t find the damn keys to his precious car, when he already knew it. And why? Because of fucking Hunter! Well, my first order of business when I get back there is to make sure he no longer has a place to stay. Ben will finally listen to me, or he’s going to have to make a choice. I’m certain he will choose me until I say otherwise. Besides being with Ben will allow me to tie up the loose ends before finally reaping the rewards of my endless patience with Brian. I’ve waiting long enough, and if he has finally admitted that the play acting he did with Boy Wonder was indeed a relationship, then dammit, he can admit the one he and I are going to have at long last is a real one!

“What are you thinking about over there?” Lance asks me as he emerges from the bathroom.

I’m glad he and I stayed in contact all of these years. Although we went to the same high school and were acquaintances, over the years I have gotten to know him pretty well. He and I share a common bond in that we both love Brian. But whereas I am in the unique position of being Brian’s best friend, Lance has been repeatedly tossed aside. So in essence, he’s been living vicariously through me all these years, while I’ve been constantly feeding him information. I have to admit that it’s been nice to be appreciated for my talents.

“Right now, I’m trying to figure out how to get rid of several pains in my ass. The first one being Hunter…”

“That little hustler kid you set me up with? What’s he done now?”

“Aside from giving Brian and Mel the address to track down his fucking Corvette, he’s been back in Pittsburgh since last week when he disappeared on us. No doubt he’s back in Ben’s care, filling his head with bullshit. I have to get home!”

“Calm down, Michael. You said it yourself… who is going to believe him over the friend they have known basically all of their lives? Hustlers are known for lies and thievery. Hmm… perhaps that can play to our advantage. Didn’t you say that your wallet was missing as well as the car keys?’

I nod my head, but then shake it real fast. “The problem with your thought process is that Hunter gave my wallet to Brian, who in turn made sure that I had enough cash in my wallet before advising the towing people that I would be paying them directly when they came to pick up the car. Basically, if I wanted my wallet released from the jackasses Brian sent, I had to hand over the money from my wallet. Not only am I out of money, but my ATM card I was using no longer registers, no does the credit card that Ben got me. Ugh! That fucking kid is just too fucking smart for my own good.”

“That he is, but what if I file a report against him?”

“You can’t.”

“Why not?”

“Well first of all, your house is full of stolen property, although you are technically just holding most of it for me. with the exception of what you paid me for. There are items in here that were on Brian’s original police report. All it would take is a cross-reference, or even a counter-complaint from Brian’s attorney, which he will undoubtedly hire to get the kid off, for the facts of the case to come to light. We need to stay under the radar with all of this. We’ve worked too hard to fuck things up now that we’re just about at the finish line.”

Lance nods at me. I hope he sees the wisdom of my words. “So what’s the plan?”

“Right now, I need to make it back to Pittsburgh and prove that Hunter is a liar. We don’t know what he told everyone back there yet, and no one is really giving Ma any useful information. As for Boy Wonder, I’m going to set him up so that it looks like he’s been cheating again. There was this guy Eric he fucked once at some frat party. I think he should make a reappearance.”

“What about Ethan? What happened to him?”

“Who knows what he did to fuck up with Justin.” I roll my eyes. “Chances are he cheated or some such bullshit. I really shouldn’t have sent a boy to do the work of a man, but I was following the advice of Lindsay based on my own conversations with Justin. The thing with her is that you can never tell if you’re the one doing the leading, or if you’re being played to follow her suggestions while she stays blameless. But something Ma said tells me that there is trouble in Muncherville again.”

“I’ll bet you’re glad you didn’t offer up your little swimmers now, aren’t you?”

“Yeah, I am. It was only an option so that Brian and I would have children together, one lesbian removed.” I sigh. “So really now all I have to do is find someone with money who the gold-digging tramp will gravitate towards and then Justin will be out of the picture once more and for good this time.”

“Perhaps you should give him a parting gift, like his actual share of the Rage profits.”

“No way! I’ve earned that while all he did was draw the fucking pictures. Trust me, it was nothing to write home about.”

“Uh, Mike, I hate to tell you this, but no one really read Rage for the dialogue… at least not alone,” he adds when I narrow my eyes at him. “But as loathe as I am to admit it, Justin is an amazing artist. Someday, with the right backing, his work is going to be worth something, even in comic form.”

“Good, then we agree that he can wait until then to get any more than he already has from Rage,” I say huffily. “Although, I have been thinking of doing another issue with Boy Wonder. The thing that fucks me up the most is that it has to be with him since he owns all the copyrights to the artwork for every character he’s ever drawn for the comic. The idea I have is one he will probably never draw willingly. But if I can persuade him to draw it, then have someone else switch the characters using Photoshop, where instead of the fiddler being gone, it’s J.T. then maybe it has a shot of being published. I know that it’s the program Justin uses to readjust the characters and other such edits on the artwork before the final cut goes to the printers. It shouldn’t be that hard to find someone else able to use the program.”

Well let me know when it’s done and I’ll advertise it. No way is Brian going to do it with you killing off J.T., even if he’s pissed at Justin. I just don’t see that happening.”

“I suppose you’re right, but look… let’s get me home first and then we’ll work out the particulars by email, like we always do.”

“Sure, Mike. Just keep me abreast of the situation and I’ll do what I can from this end.”

LINDSAY:

After another hot date with Sam, I am absolutely exhausted. Thank God, Dusty and Marie agreed to take Gus for the night. He asked me to spend the night with him again, and although I told him no for the sake of propriety, I wish to hell that I hadn’t. However, I think that with Gus out of the house, it’s a good time for me to inform Mel how dangerously close she is coming to losing me… and her unlimited access to the only person that really keeps her here. I’m not dumb or blind, and I know that if it wasn’t for Gus, she and I would be over. But then again that may work in my favor since I am and will continue to be the primary parent. Well that is if I can avoid the one thing I really don’t want to do, and that’s return to the social-climbing hell known as the Peterson residence.

Now don’t get me wrong. There is nothing wrong with having ambitions. I’m a firm believer that everyone should have them. The problem is that I would have much more success on my own as a single mother receiving two child support checks than I ever would be as some WASP man’s wife. I want to be able to control my own purse, and the only way to do that is to have total and complete control over Gus. Mel and Brian should have to pay me for the privilege of being able to see him, and if she decides to play hardball by kicking me out, they will.

Going into the house with a plan of action in mind, I’m halted my a series of voices coming from the living room. To say that the interruption is pissing me off is an understatement, even as I hear the well-known gurgle of a baby. Rushing in, I am surprised and angered to see Brian and Justin, rolling around on the floor with Gus, as Mel sits like fucking Ms. Muffet on her tuffet with more of those fucking legal briefs spread out around her. Pasting a wooden smile on my face, I step further into the room.

“Well hello there, everyone. Brian, Justin what are you guys doing here?”

“Well obviously we came to see Gus, Lindz. Surely, you’re not that blind… or intoxicated. Good party?”

I narrow my eyes at his insinuation. Yes, I imbibed a little more wine than was wise, but only because I knew the shrew I would be coming home to. Anybody else would have done the same. Instead of saying that, I just tip my head at Brian and answer, “Yes. It was one of the best shows I’d done in a long time.”

“Oh? Where was it?”

“At the gallery, of course.”

“No.”

“No? What is that supposed to mean?”

“It means that Justin and I swung by the Auerbach show tonight and we didn’t see you there.”

“Well I was working and probably in the back office writing up a sales receipt.”

“Which probably would have happened, Lindsay, if the show had been at Bloom,” Melanie says, and I feel my face flush.

It’s not because I feel in any way guilty about what I’ve been doing behind her back. I don’t, since I have needs that have to be met, too. It’s just that I was expecting to have a little leverage with her when I revealed my affair, and then again when I laid out her options. With Brian and Justin being here for this conversation, I feel like the odds have just tipped out of my favor.

“Plain and simple Lindz, and short, sweet and to the point - I want you out of here… now, tonight, IMMEDIATELY! And don’t even think about taking Gus with you.”

“What do you mean about not taking Gus with me?! He’s my son!”

Mel tsked at my argument. “True as that may be, we both know that the only place for you to go is to your parents' house. They will never accept him, or the fact that you have had a child out of traditional wedlock. So the only real option is to offer you visitation rights. Oh, and if you’re thinking about calling your philandering lover to side with you, I wouldn’t advise it. Well unless you’re willing to bet your five minutes of fame while you’re being named in an Alienation of Affection lawsuit. That's what the lovers of cheating spouses get sued for. You see, Lindz, his wife, along with her private investigator was at the show tonight, which is yet another reason that we know you were not. So far, the wife doesn’t have your name, but if you try to fight Brian and me on this, I’m sure we’ll be all too happy to give it to her. Gus should not be used in whatever game you were thinking to play, but if you leave now, quietly, we’ll at least try to be fair during the mediation hearing. Let’s face it, you’re in no position to care for Gus, which is pretty evident by how you actually spent your evening. So your actions now will either make things really easy on you, or very, VERY hard. It’s your choice.”

I see Brian with a fucking smirk on his face, and all I can think is when the fuck did they become allies, especially over Gus?  The last time was when I was going to marry Gui. Although Brian didn’t sign over his rights, which was a bone of contention up until that point, he did ask Mel if she was willing to settle for third-party adoption so that she would always be included. I should have stopped their fucking truce right then, but I was so fucking disappointed in Brian not signing his rights over that I remained in shocked silence. From that day to this one, they have been slowly becoming friends… and I can’t fucking stand it! But I know when I’ve been beaten for the interim, so I nod slightly before heading out of the door. I knew that I had to retreat and regroup now so that I could have time to come up with a solid plan. So I’ll let them think they’ve won for now, but this isn’t over… not by a long shot!