CHAPTER SIX: WHEN GIVING UP ISN’T SO HARD TO DO AFTER ALL

BEN:

I can’t believe the way Michael just spoke to me a mere hour ago. He has a hell of a lot of nerve, literally biting the hand that has been keeping his hobby running. I checked in with Emmett and he confirmed everything that Mel has told me… and more! There’s an adage that says: What you do in the dark will come to the light. And now I think it’s past time to shed some light on one seemingly big cockroach. Where is a giant can of HUMAN Raid when you need one?!

I will not sit here in the lobby of Mel’s office and deny that I am pissed off. Nor will I deny that I’m just a bit more heartbroken than I have been in the weeks where I have heard from Hunter, but not from my husband. But hearing Emmett describe in succinct detail exactly what they discovered on the secret accounting log of Michael’s computer… well, now doesn’t that drive home a point. As I think back over it all now, I’m so glad that I never took Michael up on his offer of the trip to Vermont. Beyond what he did to Justin, there’s just no way we can come back from this now. Once Hunter gets back, I will find a way to keep him with me and out of the hands of Rita. I’ll figure it out somehow, but Michael will no longer be part of the equation. From my view, and from all that Hunter has related so far, he never really was.

“Ben, come on in. We’re ready for you now,” Mel tells me, holding the conference room door open for me to walk through.

I already feel the weight increase upon my shoulders in anticipation of finding out just what Michael has been up to. When I first arrived, I handed Mel my check register without a word or sound. It was hard to realize that somehow, as intelligent as I proclaim to be and others think I am, that I’ve been played as the ultimate fool. I never should have fallen for those damn puppy eyes and starry-eyed innocence, or taken anything Michael has ever said at face value. I’ve learned in the past few hours that with Michael, everything tends to have a hidden meaning, despite the litany of meaningless platitudes of apology he verbalizes to excuse his boorishness. I can’t count how many times I have had to cloak and cover for him so that the men he calls his friends don’t just either kick his ass, or leave him without any. It doesn’t help that he’s learned how not to own up to anything through enforced, prolonged conditioning.

For the most part, I love Deb. I really do, but if Michael learned anything at her knee, it was how to become an effective emotional bully. I’ve watched her deflect moral responsibility and divert blame to anyone, including me, who does not choose to march to Michael’s tune, like the good little soldier she is. It’s like she feels that if she has to suffer for his unhappiness, then we all should suffer right along with her until someone, namely Brian, makes his world right again. Unfortunately, the only time she’s not on board the Michael Whine Express is when something he does directly affects her. It’s the reason I’m not looking forward to the fallout of this news at all.   

“So what’s the verdict?” I ask, as I sit down opposite Mel and her colleague, Janean.

“Well Ben, it’s as Janean and I were thinking, but I need to know something from you. How did you end up paying the mortgage on the store full-time?”

“At first, it was only supposed to be a loan. As we all know Michael and Justin had a falling out and Justin refused to work with Michael anymore. Oh, he tried to get Justin to agree, even after he deliberately sabotaged Justin’s relationship with Brian.”

“Sabotaged?” Mel gasps, and I nod.

“That’s exactly what happened. All Michael did was see Ethan kiss Justin on the street the day they were hanging posters. Now as we both know, although I’m not sure you explained it all to Janean…” At both of their nods, I continue. “Brian and Justin had an open relationship. Although most of us don’t agree with the concept, it seemed at the time to be working for them. And the rules for those kind of relationships are solely up to the people participating in them, and not to be scrutinized by those of us not in the know. But somehow when it comes to Brian and Justin, Michael has this ridiculous double standard that allows for Brian to go on being the Stud while Justin was supposed to be eternally celibate until Brian was available. Now that I think about it, I believe that should Michael have ever gotten what he wanted, he would have been as he expected Justin to be.

“Anyway, Michael came home fuming, literally frothing at the mouth about it. Strangely, it reminded me of when Michael found out about Brian and I…”

“Wait! What about you and Brian?”

“You mean you don’t know?” She shakes her head, but I can see when realization widens her eyes. “Yes, it was at the White Party four years before I ever met Michael. I can see that of all the things he spews about other people and their business, he neglected to mention that his own partner had a go with the man he most wants, while the only thing that has ever happened between them will remain an unfinished handjob for him.”

“Eww!!!! I don’t even want to know about that!” Mel exclaims as Janean snickers.

“Why do you think Michael is still so insistent that Brian isn’t in a relationship?” I ask her.

“Well first there was David… and now there’s you… and”

“Was,” I say quietly. “There was me, Mel. David and I were nothing more than placeholders for his fantasy that will never happen. It hurts, but there it is.”

“Then perhaps that’s all I ever was, too,” she whispers, and I can see exactly where her thinking went.

“Not the same, Mel. We both know that Brian will never do Lindsay again. He’s no longer twenty-one, and he’s now very sure of who he is.”

“But I suspect she’s not.”

“Then it won’t be Brian, and I know you know that.” The silent understanding between us says all there’s left to say on that matter, so I move on. “But back to how Michael sabotaged Brian and Justin’s relationship. It turns out that Brian had told Justin about us from the White Party so that Justin wouldn’t be surprised by it. At first I didn’t really understand why, but as I began to know Michael a little bit more and to study his dynamic within the group, I realized that any hidden secret is liable to come out of Michael’s mouth at any given inopportune time, especially if it could hurt someone who he considered unimportant or in his way. So yes, it was better that Brian told Justin before Michael did.”

“I can certainly see the logic in that, since Lindsay is the same way, only a bit more subtle,” Melanie confirmed.

“Exactly. So when Michael mentioned that he’d seen Justin and Ethan kissing, I told him to leave it alone. I specified that it was not his business and that whatever it was, it was not his place to tell Brian anything.”

She sighs and shakes her head. “That started the But I’m his best friend… You don’t understand litany, right?”

“How did… Lindsay?”

“Every damn time.”

“So anyway, Michael told him, and the next thing we know the Rage party breakup happened. I really do wonder how the hell Ethan Gold knew to show up though, and at the exact moment he did.”

“I would say that it was a coincidence but…”

“Yeah, I don’t feel like it was either.” It was my turn to sigh as I thought about the events of that night. “So now that brings me to the question of happens where my money is concerned?”

“There are two options that I’m going to present Brian and Justin with, and I think you may want to consider at least one of them as well.”

“Is Justin going to bring charges against Michael for embezzlement, and will they need my check registry as evidence?”

“I’m going to advise him to do that if Michael refuses the first option.”

“Which is?”

Janean speaks then. “Mr. Novotny will have to sign over the store, the current and future inventory, and half of the collectibles within the display cases. According to this spreadsheet we acquired, which incidentally we had to file to get the records subpoenaed immediately, which is what took us so long in meeting with you, his collection alone is worth almost one-hundred thousand dollars. That doesn’t include the inventory of the store, or the collectables still with boxes that according to Emmett has arrived at various times over the past two months. We’ve requested that those also be obtained and appraised through a court order. In addition to that, he will also have to sign over his share of Rage, which is only fair since he’s cheated Justin out of his. Right now, this is not a criminal case because of how we worded the order, but if Mr. Novotny tries to skip out on paying the restitution, it will quickly become one since I will advise Misters Taylor and Kinney to file a police report and submit all of the evidence I have to date.”

I whistle low. Michael is in some serious shit. “You ladies are really playing hard ball with him.”

“In order for Michael to learn, we have to,” Mel says, and I can’t argue or disagree with her.

“It’s sad to say, but I can tell you now that you might as well advise Justin to file the police report. If Michael wasn’t even adult enough to pay the rent on his own store for his livelihood to continue, what would make any of us think he would do the right thing and relinquish even one of the collectables? Michael doesn’t deal in logic. He’ll feel as though he’s done nothing wrong. In his warped mind he’ll reason that because Justin took away his favorite toy, he, in turn, had the right to take something of value away from Justin. Michael didn’t just take away Justin’s money. I’m willing to bet that Justin feels bashed all over again, only this time, instead of a known enemy, it happened at the hands of a supposed friend.”     

VIC:

I’m here at the request of my resident pain in the ass that I love dearly. Of course that is as a result of her own pain in the ass who would try to crawl back in her birth canal if he could… ANYTHING to keep from growing up. This time it’s about Brian cancelling his auto insurance. I’m pretty sure that there was more to the conversation, but between her screeching and his whining, God couldn’t even make heads or tails of that mess. So I’m here to get the basics from the apparent source of all Novotny misery… please notice I did NOT say Grassi.

You see, here’s the thing. Deborah Jane Grassi is able to reason; Deborah Jane Novotny is NOT. If it affects Michael’s life negatively, more than likely through every fault of his own, well, Mama Bear just must jump in to save her cub, even at the risk of making others responsible who have absolutely nothing to do with his supposed plight. Unfortunately, that usually means that Brian does. It’s because Brian is like a lion; he doesn’t bend, break or back down. And he’s found the perfect mate for himself, even if he hasn’t yet admitted to himself. Justin is made of the same stern stuff. The problem is that the jackass cub is trying to fill a role he’s not even remotely qualified to fill, and he hides behind my sister while trying to force his way in.

The good news is that Emmett told me to meet him here and I would have all of my answers. So whereas Deb thinks it’s as a favor to her, in reality it’s really for me. There’s no question that Michael’s actions have once again written a check his ass can’t cash, but the question is what’s it going to cost Brian this time? I hate to think that, but there it is. I didn’t get to be my age, involved with a wonderful man, newly successful once I took my fucking foot out of the grave, and finally free of the Deb-induced guilt I’d been living under for as long as I can remember, by lying to myself. I know my sister as well as I know most people, and I know her son even better. This is not as cut and dry as he’s made it out to be, and I know Brian doesn’t simply act callous without a good reason. I look forward to hearing it, and yet at the same time, dread it. I shake my head at that contradictory thought.

I knock on the door and wait for it to be answered. I got lucky when I arrived because the Super was coming out. Jose and I go way back, and at my request he has been keeping me abreast of the goings on around here. Although he doesn’t exactly know what Brian and Justin did, he does know that it must have been big. He confided once that he’d witnessed Jim Stockwell in the business, in the company of a bald man. Jose called me the moment they left and told me to warn Brian about what they planned. Unfortunately, I was too late, and Brian lost his job the next day. So he’s been keeping an eye on things for me, helping to make sure that the boys have everything they need. He’s not particularly fond of my nephew, and has vowed to keep him out once he returns from wherever the hell he is.

I will be honest. Although there is still the menace of Rita Montgomery looming over Hunter, I don’t believe that Michael is staying away solely for Hunter’s benefit. I haven’t heard from them, but Ben has. He told me that Hunter has told him that if they don’t return within the week, he’s going to go hustle in order to get some money for bus fare and come back to Pittsburgh on his own. I have to ask Ben exactly what Hunter’s said has been going on with Michael. Usually there is always some hidden meaning in the frequent code words and phrases, and based on my gut feeling, Michael is up to something that has nothing to do with Hunter. But that will have to wait, as I finally hear the locks to the loft turning. Brian looks startled to see me, until I smirk at him.

“Let me guess,” he says by way of greeting. “He called her.”

“Did you really expect otherwise, son? You did something to upset her little prince. By the way, Emmett is on his way with a veritable feast. You wanna tell me what’s really going on?”

“There’s a lot. Some good, some bad. You know the drill.”

I can tell that he’s trying to avoid telling me which of course means my hunches have been right yet again in reference to Michael. I sigh. “What’s he done this time? And no deflecting!” I order.

“Come on in and have a seat and I’ll tell you as much as Justin and I know so far. It isn’t pretty,” he says.

“I know, but this place sure is!” I exclaim as I move further into the loft. It looks showroom worthy. “Windfall?”

Brian smiled. “No, just a gem of a friend. Emmett recommended that I call this guy he knows, so we have all of this on loan. Mel and her attorney friend, Janean, will be along in a bit. I think we should probably wait until they get here to discuss the situation with Michael.”

“Did you cancel the insurance on the car yet?”

“How did… nevermind. I have every intention of doing so. Michael crossed a fucking ocean instead of a small line this time. And what’s worse is that it hurt Justin. I don’t give a shit about Michael hurting me, but to hurt Justin the way he has… Anyway, would you like something to drink? Have you taken your meds yet?”

And see, that’s what I mean about Brian. My nephew would never have even thought to ask those questions, since neither thing affects his own wants, needs, or wishes. “No, Bri, I’m okay for now. Besides, Emmett is on his way with food, so I’ll eat a little something when he gets here.”

He nods and we talk about inconsequential things for awhile until Justin comes down from the bedroom. His eyes are a little red and puffy, but he looks okay for the most part. He comes over to give me a kiss on the cheek before going into the kitchen to put on some coffee. Brian’s gaze shifts to watch him. His gaze is both loving and guarded as he regards Justin moving around the kitchen area, grabbing a tray and three cups. When I catch his gaze, he tells me a little of what’s been happening.

“Justin had an episode today. It was intense, and after he had his meltdown, he had a vicious headache.”

“Oh, I’m sorry to hear that. I can go if you guys want…”

“No, Vic. We want you here, even if it’s not for the best of reasons right now.”

I don’t get a chance to ask what he meant by that as the buzzer picks that moment to start ringing. Justin goes over to let their guests in while Brian brings over the tray with the coffee. As they file in, greeting Justin and asking after his well-being, I’m surprised by the last person to arrive, with both of his arms full of Emmett’s creations.

“Ben? What are you doing here?” I ask, as I rush over to help him.

“Hey, Vic. I suppose my reason is almost the same as yours. Michael’s in shit again, but this time, I don’t think any of us are going to bail him out of it. I know I’m not even willing to try.”

“That bad, huh?”

“Even worse than you could imagine this time.”

“Well, now that we’re all gathered, someone wanna fill me in at long last?” I ask, as I move back over to my seat on the sofa.

I’m puzzled when Mel says, “Okay, Justin, you have two options: Take the store, all of its current and future inventory, half of his collection, and the rights for Rage, or file the police report and let the law deal with him. To answer your question Vic, Michael’s been embezzling and cheating Justin out of the Rage profits since the very first issue. He changed the original contract to justify keeping over ninety percent of the profits and there is something else. Ben’s been paying the mortgage on the store for over a year, but that’s not the worst of it… Brian, I’m sorry to tell you this, but further down on that ledger are several figures for profits, including a Mies Van de Rohe table, an IBM computer, and a Philippe Starck juicer, a full Armani Fall Collection, just to name a few. Bottom line is that many of the items were the same listed on your police report back when the loft was broken into. It looks like he’s been building a nest egg for the two of you for a long time.”

And that was about the very last thing that I had expected to hear today. Holy fucking shit!