Nuff Rope

Chapter 2






“Shit fuck!” Todd cursed out loud at the 25-pound pile of manure that had unceremoniously dumped itself onto his work boots via a torn bag.

Todd was desperately trying to prove himself to Brian, his new crew of landscapers and most of all to himself. The smaller projects he had been taking on had all gone well. However, this project for the mayor’s wife was bringing him daily nightmares. Nothing seemed to be going right. The white annuals weren’t white enough, the red too red. And the for shit clay packed soil was plaguing him. If it wasn’t Brian Kinney backing him, Todd would have pulled out long ago.

“Having trouble, are we,” Brian stated, startling Todd when Brian seemed to appear out of thin air.

“You could say that,” Todd said with a sigh looking down at his manure covered boots.

“What seems to be the problem? Other than you standing in a mound of cow shit, I mean,” Brian asked as he handed Todd a large bottle of water. Todd took a long drink, gathering his thoughts together in a logical manner before answering.

“Everything.”

“Care to be a little more specific?” Brian snarked with an arched eyebrow.

“The soil is more clay and rocks than dirt. We have to remove about three feet of this crap before we can get to any good stuff. We’ll have to bring in a ton more of good topsoil before we can start any serious planting, which will increase the overall cost of the project. Not to mention that the missus is about to change the colors of the plants. If she does that the whole shore effect will dramatically change.”

“Okay, I get it. Mrs. Mayor is not your favorite person at the moment. However, she is our client so why don’t you step out of the cow pie, have your crew arrange the plants in the scheme we’ve worked out and leave the lady to me. I have some experience with finicky clients. If I distract her for thirty minutes will that give you enough time to arrange the plants?”

“If we work fast, it will.”

“Then I suggest you work fast,” Brian strongly suggested as he sauntered to the house to schmooze the mayor’s wife. Todd stared at Brian’s retreating ass, um, back for a second then quickly gathered his crew.



*****



“Are you sure it’s safe for you to be doing that?” Leda asked Jamie who was sitting on a scaffold applying her special homemade paper to a large canvas. Jamie had decided to create one large canvas rather than several smaller pieces for her entry to the Emerging Artists show. She had discussed her project with Lindsay and Sidney who were both in agreement and preparing to set aside a large wall just for Jamie.

“I’m sure,” Jamie answered curtly. She was concentrating on the precise placement of her bits of dyed paper and her overly protective lover was not making things any easier for her.

“Jamie, I don’t think being ten feet off the ground is the best place for a woman in your condition,” Leda growled.

“Leda, I love you but right now where I am IS the best place for me to be.”

“Can’t you put the canvas on the floor and work from there?’

“And how would I access the middle of the piece without stepping on it. Should I hang from a bungee cord from the rafters? Leda, I’ve always worked like this. I appreciate your concern but go invent a new scooter with a sidecar to hold the baby, will ya? I really need to work.”

Jamie heard Leda sigh.

“You’re sure.”

“I’m sure.”

“I love you,” Leda said.

“I love you too, now go, and I want pizza with anchovies and feta cheese for dinner.”

“Eiw,” Leda grumbled shaking her head as she left Jamie’s studio. Jamie smiled then got back to her canvas.



*****



“Joan, are you sure you don’t mind me leaving early tonight,” Danny asked. He and Riley had an official date for the evening. Danny wanted to go home for a little extra self pampering in preparation for his date.

“Danny, for heaven’s sake, it’s not like I haven’t closed up before. And I’ll have Gordon pick me up when he and Betsie go to the bank. Don’t worry, it’ll be fine. Go, have a great time. I think Riley is a very nice man, and so are you. You both deserve a pleasant evening out.”

“If you’re sure.” Danny was looking pensive

“I’m sure. Danny, what’s wrong? You look as nervous as a cat in a rocking chair factory.”

“It’s been a long time since I’ve been a-courtin’.”

“Would you like some advice?” Joan said trying to hide her smirk.

“Yes, please,” Danny said with a sigh. He felt he was in need of a lot of advice.

“Be on time. Go to the door; do not honk from the curb. Be polite. Hold the door open for him. And hold out his chair at the restaurant. Be attentive and don’t order anything too saucy or spicy. Walk him to his door, shake hands good night and you may peck his cheek,” Joan advised with a straight face.

Danny stared incredulously at her. “You have got to be kidding me!”

“Yes, I am. Danny, you are a sweet, intelligent, worldly man. Just relax and have fun,” Joan said as she pushed him toward the door

“Have fun, she says,” Danny grumbled as he reluctantly walked to the door.

“Yes, fun! And remember, use a condom!” Joan chuckled as Danny turned beet red.

“We’ve created a monster,” Joan heard Danny say as he left the shop.



*****



“May I help you?” Justin asked a Goth looking teen as she came into the gallery. Justin was spending his days at the gallery as they continued to prepare for his new show. Sidney and Lindsay had some business to do in the office leaving Justin to supervise the work. The gallery was technically closed for a few more hours. He and the workmen were the only ones in the gallery.

“I wasn’t touching anything,” the girl said quickly.

“Didn’t say you were, but we’re closed until six tonight,” Justin explained.

“Oh,” the girl looked disappointed. “But the door was open,” she added.

“Yes, well we’ve been moving things around a lot.”

“Oh. I guess I should go,” the girl said hesitantly.

“Did you come here to see something in particular or did you have an appointment with Ms. Peterson or Mr. Bloom?” Justin saw a sketch pad sticking out of the girls’ messenger bag and thought maybe she was an artist in the making.

“No, not really, but I heard there’s a permanent Rage exhibit on display. I thought I’d take a look at it.”

“You like Rage?” Justin asked. It was obvious that the young lady hadn’t recognized him yet. Justin was wearing an old t-shirt and jeans knowing he was going to be shifting displays for most of the day. His attire and his dust smudged face made Justin look like the other workmen.

“I love it but my father doesn’t approve.”

“I know what you mean.”

“Your father doesn’t like it either?”

“My father has never approved of Rage or anything else I like,” Justin answered honestly. “Come on, I’ll take you to Rage.”

“Are you sure? I don’t want you to get into trouble.” The girl assumed Justin worked at the gallery as a handyman.

“Don’t worry,” Justin whispered with a wink. “I know the owner.” Justin smiled as he led her to the Rage section of the gallery. “I’m Justin, by the way,” Justin said as he held out his hand.

“Cassandra but my friends call me Candy.”

“Well, Candy, nice to meet a fellow Rage fan. Follow me.”

“Wow, Sateeena and Zephyr,” she said eying the posters. “Is it true that a girl is the main artist now?” Candy asked in awe as she took a step closer to the displays.

“Yes, it is. Lacy is her name. She took over as the primary artist a few years ago.”

“Somebody told me that she’s a waitress at the Liberty Diner. I don’t believe it ‘cause how can a famous artist work at a diner.”

“What’s wrong with working at the diner? The tips were great.”

“You worked there?”

“Sure. So did Hunter, he runs the Jason Kemp Center, and Lacy was a waitress before she bought the place from the owner, so now she’s the boss. Lots of people have worked there.”

“Wow,” Candy said again. “Hey, wait a minute,” Candy said as she stared at the life sized poster of Rage holding JT in his arms from the wedding issue. She took a sharp intake of air as she spun around to see Justin smiling brightly at her. “Oh my God, you’re JT!”

“Guilty as charged but my friends call me Justin.”

“You must think I’m really stupid,” Candy mumbled. Embarrassed, she looked down at her platform boots.

“Hey, it’s okay. I don’t go around carrying a JT name tag stuck to my chest.”

“Did you really work at the diner?’

“Yup. When my father found out I was gay he threw me out. I had to make a living some way.” Candy nodded. “Are you okay? You look kinda sad.”

“I...me and my mom just moved back to Pittsburgh. She’s been sick so she thought maybe my father could help out. You know, with money and stuff, but my father didn’t know that he was my father and he...”

“I get it. I’m sorry. You like to draw?” Justin asked indicating the pad in her bag, trying to redirect the conversation.

“Yeah, I love to draw but I don’t think I’ll ever be as good as you or Lacy.” She patted her bag without thinking.

“Why don’t you let me be the judge of that? Can I see your sketchbook?” Justin said sweetly batting his eyes at her. Candy giggled as she took the pad out of her bag. “I always carry a sketch pad with me.”

“You do?”

“Uh huh, always. You never know when something will inspire you to draw. It doesn’t have to be anything big or very important. I once spent hours drawing an old shirt of mine that was hanging up on the back of my door. I can spend hours drawing my partner.”

“Is Rage real?” Candy leaned in and whispered.

“He’s real,” Justin laughed. “He’s my partner,” he whispered back. “A day doesn’t go by that I don’t draw him.”

Justin led Candy to the set of steps that separated one room from another. He sat so he could look through her book. Candy sat next to him. “These are real good.” The sketches were typical still-life portraits of scenes around Liberty Ave. A bench, a fire hydrant, the one of a lamppost made Justin smile.

“You really think I’m good?”

“Yes, I do. In fact I think you’re good enough to be included in our Emerging Artists show.”

“Oh no, I couldn’t. I’m not that good. Besides, I don’t think my parents would approve.”

“Why? If you want I could talk to them or I can ask Sidney to send a special invitation to your parents. The show isn’t until September so you have about six weeks to get ready for it and work on your parents. I can’t see why they’d have a problem with it.”

“I don’t think my mom would mind. As long as it doesn’t interfere with my summer job, I guess it’ll be okay.”

“Where do you work?”

“At the Big Q. I’m not old enough to be cashier but I can clean up the toy aisle and stuff. I work part time, you know, to help.”

“I know.” They sat quietly for a few minutes. Candy took her sketchpad back from Justin and shoved it back in her bag. “I gotta go. Thank you for showing me the Rage stuff,” Candy said as she stood to go.

“You’re very welcome. And I mean it, Candy; I think you have a lot of talent. It would be a real shame to waste it. I’m going to be spending a lot of time here for the next two months, and do you know the Comic Book store?” Candy nodded. “Well, my partner’s best friend owns it, so if you need to get in touch with me you can go there. Michael will call me. Okay?”

“Okay.”

“And keep drawing.”

“Okay.”

“Let me walk you out. It was very nice meeting you,” Justin said as he stuck out his hand.

“Nice meeting you too,” Candy replied as she shook Justin’s hand. “Bye.”

“Bye,” Justin said as he shut the door behind her.

He smiled to himself remembering what it was like wanting to be good enough to have his work in a show. He walked back to where the sketch of Brian in all his naked glory was hanging. Next to it was the modern representation of the same sketch.

“Has he changed much?” Lindsay asked as she approached him.

“No, he hasn’t, but then I’m biased. He’ll never change in my eyes. He’ll always be young and beautiful.”

“Spoken like someone in love,” Lindsay smiled weakly.

“I am. Lindsay, I’m sorry things aren’t working between you and Mel,” Justin said gently as he turned to face her.

“It’s okay.”

“No, it isn’t. You’ll let us know if we can help in any way.”

“I will. But I don’t think that even the great Brian fucking Kinney can fix this,” Lindsay said as they both turned back to Brian’s portrait.



*****



“So, Mrs. Mayor,” Brian said to the middle aged woman beside him. “What do you think of your magnificent gardens now?”

“Magnificent?” she asked. The mayor’s wife looked around at what the landscapers had done. She hadn’t thought of them as magnificent. But she had to admit that it was wonderful to hear someone call them magnificent. However, she would have liked darker red flowers. “It’s very … nice,” she said.

Brian bit back a retort. “Just nice?” he asked. “I guarantee that the next time you invite your garden club over they will be raving about what miracles you have created out here.”

“Miracles?”

“Definitely miracles,” Brian assured her.

Mrs. Mayor thought about that. She would be very pleased to have people think she had created miracles with the gardens at the mayor’s house. She didn’t belong to a garden club, but maybe she should. She had to admit that the landscapers had transformed the mediocre garden into something quite beautiful. Perhaps she should contact the horticultural society. This could prove to be a feather in her cap, and by proxy a feather in her husband’s cap as well. “I wish the red flowers were a little more powerful,” she felt compelled to add.

Brian shook his head imperceptibly. “That is a very perceptive comment,” he said keeping his temper in check. If this had been Kinnetik, somebody would have been fired. But this was a client of his company, his and Todd’s company.

“Why, thank you, Mr. Kinney,” the mayor’s wife said, her hand fluttering to the neck of her cotton shirt.

“If you can wait to call in the garden club for about two weeks, you will have a mass of red when all these buds pop.” Brian held up a stalk to show the woman the buds he was referring to. “It will look magnificent.” How many times am I going to say that fucking word, he wondered to himself.

“Why, of course, I should have realized.”

“It always takes a week or two for plants to look their best after transplanting.”

“Yes, of course,” Mrs. Mayor replied with a big smile. “I think this is going to be just perfect. I’m sure you’ll get lots more business from this project. Good day, Mr. Kinney, I have some calls to make.” Mrs. Mayor hurried off to the house.

“What the fuck did you say to that old battleaxe?” Todd asked as he joined Brian. He had heard the end of the conversation.

“A little flattery, a little bullshit and some facts,” Brian replied. “I’m not in advertising for nothing.”

Todd laughed. “You certainly know how to get results.”

“Mrs. Mayor is going to be recommending us to her friends. Get ready for a ton more business.”

“A ton … more?” Todd asked with a sinking feeling. He was barely keeping his head above water with what he was doing now.

“This garden is as good as ten ads in the local papers,” Brian averred.

Todd felt his stomach clench. He wondered if he’d be able to handle all that was coming at him. He wanted to succeed, but this was getting too big too fast. “Brian, I…”

“You’re not having second thoughts about our partnership, are you?” Brian asked with a raised eyebrow.

“Me? No! Never,” Todd lied. He hoped he could make all this happen. He prayed to all the gods and goddesses of horticulture and business that he could make it happen.

“Great! Then my work here is done.”

Todd watched Brian walk away. He found it hard to swallow.



*****



“Great dinner,” Gus said as he cleaned his plate.

“Thanks,” Bobby said. It had been his turn to cook.

“I’ll miss your cooking when I go home,” Ray said.

“Your dads won’t be pleased to hear that,” Brian said with a smirk.

“My dads’ cooking is fine. It’s just nice to have something different,” Ray said, trying to defend his dads.

“Are you ready to go home?” Justin asked sensing a little homesickness in the sound of Ray’s voice.

“Yeah, I think I am,” Ray admitted. They would be leaving in a few days for New York. “Don’t get me wrong,” he added. “I’ve really enjoyed it here. And working with you has been great, Bobby, but I’m ready to go home.”

Bobby nodded and all the adults looked at each other. They would miss the two boys when they left for New York.

“Um, Pop,” Gus began. “I’ve been thinking.”

“That’s always an ominous sign,” Brian replied.

“I think rather than driving to New York with Uncle John and Bobby, I should take my new car.” Gus looked hopefully at his father who frowned and didn’t reply. “What do you think, Pop?”

“I don’t think much of that idea,” Brian said brusquely.

Gus looked crushed and started to speak, but Ray tapped him on the arm and shook his head. Gus decided not to say anything further.

“And I still want to go to sleep away camp,” Bree added for good measure. “Okay, Dada?”

“I don’t think much of that idea either,” Brian said pushing his chair back from the table. He walked out into his gardens and headed for the stream.