Brian’s Replacement



“Brian the alarm (5:30am)”

“Oh god I just fell asleep”

“Bri what time did you get home?”

“About midnight”

“When did you come to bed?”

“I don’t know 2:30-3 I think”

“Oh baby why?”

“Big campaign, had to fix what the fuck up twins did”

“Brian you can’t keep doing this”

“moan”

“Bri”

“Huh”

“Stay in bed I’ll go in for you”

“No Justin I’ll get up”

“No stay I’ll look over your notes I can do this Cynthia will help me”

“No I can”

“No you can’t stay, sleep that’s an order”

“Bossy bottom”

“Asshole; sleep I’ll call if I have a problem”

“Ok promise you’ll call”

“Yes I promise, sleep now”

“Sleeping now”

---Justin gets up, turns off the phone, puts Brian cell on the dresser for him, showers, eats breakfast, chooses a suit to mimic Brian, picks up Brian’s briefcase and heads for the office---



“Hi Cynthia”

“Morning Justin”

“Cynthia I’m going to have to fire you”

“What?!”

“What time did you leave here last night?”

“Uh about 10pm”

“Well Brian didn’t get home until midnight”

“Shit that asshole promised me…”

“You know him”

“He swore he was going to leave right after me”

“He didn’t and then he spent another two hours on his laptop”

“Shit”

“He’s lost weight and he’s exhausted I left him sleeping”

“He didn’t argue with you?”

“He tried but he’s too tired to argue”

“I’m sorry Justin you know I would do anything for him and you, I love working with you guys”

“I know Cyn I guess we’re both going to have to take better care of him”

“Yeah you’re right but aren’t you back in school?”

“Cynthia it’s grad school I don’t have to do all at once I can spend more time here and at the studio.  It was Brian’s suggestion that I devote most of my time in school”

“Well you know him”

“Yeah too well”

---collective sigh---

“So what’s on the calendar?”

“He’s got a 9am but I can reschedule that for tomorrow”

“No why don’t you reschedule for later this afternoon I don’t want a backlog.  When’s the big one, what’s the big one?

“The Sampson campaign that’s what we were working on last night”

“Don’t I know that one?

“Yes you worked on the Phase 1 of the campaign this is Phase 2”

“Okay at least I know the art work”

“Yes Brian was trying to expand on what you did”

“Ok I can do that”

“But old man Sampson only deals with Brian”

“Well today I’m Brian, lets go in his office and set up”

“Okay”

“How much time do we have?”

“Until 1pm it’s a lunch meeting”

“Good that gives us close to 5 hours, then I have time for the other meeting”

“Did he have anything else scheduled for today?”

“No only those two”

“Good lets get started”

---setting up in Brian’s office---

“Cynthia where’s his notes?”
“He emails them to himself when he works at home”

“Shit his email is password protected”

“I can call him”

“No wait I turned off the phone only his cell is on just in case, no let’s see if we can figure this out”

“Shit I should have made him give me his password a long time ago”

“Well you know how private he is Cyn, I don’t have it either”

“Well if we can’t get in what are we going to do?”

“Let’s see…his birthday?”

---rejected---

“My birthday?”

---rejected---

“Wait I think…”

“Yeah try it”

Sunsh…

“Yee haw/Yeah!”

---both laughing---

“Oh my god look at all of this”

“This is new he must have done this last night”

“Oh Cynthia…sniffle…he works way too hard”

“Yeah I always knew that but I forget he’s only human”

“Yeah the great Brian fuckin’ Kinney, we really need to help out more”

“You’re right Justin”

“Okay let me get through this; can you get me some coffee?

“Coming right up boss anything else?”

“Yeah call the fuck up twins and get them in here, then call the Art Dept. I want to see all the boards, I’ll go down there when I’m done reaming the twins”

“You got it boss; Justin?”

“Yeah?”

“You sound a little like him”

“Thanks Cyn now lets see if I can pull this off like him-grin”

“If anyone can its you-smile”

“COFFEE!”

“Right away boss”



---Brad/Bob come into the office---

“Justin what are you doing here?”

“Yeah we expected Brian”

“I’m Brian for today”

“Well that’s good”

“Yeah you’re way more reasonable”

“Don’t count on it; now tell me your ideas for Phase 2 of Sampson”

“Well…”



“Shit that sucks”

“Huh?”

“Why do you guys do that?”

“Well we thought that’s what he wanted”

“Uh huh and what do you want?”

“What?”

“Tell me what you really thought about this, an honest opinion”

“Well we guess uh…”



“Now that’s good”

“Huh?”

“I knew there was a real reason why Brian hired you guys away from Vangard”

“We thought it was cuz he needs someone to yell at and berate all the time”

“That may have had something to do with it-smirk; but he probably saw potential in you guys and he’s waiting until you guys grow balls”

“What?”

“You heard me.  Brian respects strength of conviction and opinions even if it doesn’t agree with what he has in mind.  If you challenge him and not let him walk all over you he may yell but he wouldn’t berate you”

“We didn’t think”

“No you didn’t; speak up for yourselves you’ll see; why do you think he and Cynthia get a long, she doesn’t stand for his shit and neither do I; that’s why this works.  Now let’s go down to the Art Dept. and see what this looks like; come on”

“Whatever you say Justin”

“That’s right whatever I say”

---in the Art Dept.---

“Hey guys”

“Hey Justin; where’s Brian?  Yeah we expected him hours ago; yeah we thought it was kinda quiet around here---laughing”

“Guys!”

“Oh oh”

“That’s right I’m Brian today now show me Phase 2”

“Uh huh”

“NOW!”

---people scurrying, setting up---

“Eiw; okay let’s fix this”

---a couple of hours later---

“I like it, this is good”

“You’re a genius Justin”

“No Brian’s the genius I just translated his notes; now set this up in the main conference room”

“Okay Boss”

---more scurrying---



“Justin”

“Yeah Cynthia”

“The caterers are here I’m having them set up”

“Good, did you see the boards?”

“Yup they look great; I think you did it”

“I think so too I hope old man Sampson can get over the fact that Brian’s not here and accept Phase 2 from me”

“I think he will he loved the original art work and I don’t think he knew you did them”

“That’s good to know I can use that”

---a little later---

“Justin its time”

“Yeah-showtime!”



“Mr. Sampson I’m Justin Taylor Brian’s partner it’s very nice to meet you”

“Where’s Kinney?”

“He’s out today I’ll be showing you Phase 2”

“Does Kinney really think he’s too good to show up today and he sends his flunky?”

“Mr. Sampson –{in a very Brian Kinney tone of voice}-that’s uncalled for; if you must know Brian’s been working on this on stop for weeks.  These are his ideas and I did the original art work for Phase1”

“You, you’re a kid”

“No I’m not; now I know you met Brian a long time ago didn’t you”

“Yes he was just starting, an intern”

“Well I was his intern and I’m his partner and I’m the same age he was when he became an exec at Ryder”

“You look so young”

“Well looks can be deceiving, now lets have some lunch and look over the boards; I’m sure you’ll be pleased”

---sitting down---

“Interned for Kinney huh, well if you’re half as good as he is maybe we’ll have a deal”

“I think you’ll be pleasantly surprised”

---an hour later---

Well Mr. Taylor”

“Justin”

“Justin you were right this is exactly what I had in mind you and Kinney make a great team”

“I always thought so, why don’t we go into Brian’s office and finalize things”

“Very good”

--in Brian’s office---

“Cynthia can you bring me the Sampson contract”

“Sure thing Justin”

“Well Mr. Sampson is that agreeable to you?”

“Yes very agreeable Justin, I’ll let my legal look it over then fax it back later today”

“Very good”

“Hmmm these sketches”---looking around the office

“Yes?”

“Just wonderful”

“Thank you”

“Hold on a second, Justin Taylor, I went to a gallery not too long ago there were some paintings and sculptures, I recall a large nude of Brian”

---blush---

“You’re the same Justin Taylor”

“Yes sir that’s me”

“Hmmm-picking up a framed picture of Justin off of Brian’s desk-partner huh?”

“Yes sir, partner in all sense of the word”

“Well young man I’ve worked with Kinney for a long time, he’s was always a bit of an …”

“Asshole…well yeah but you didn’t hear that from me”

---chuckling---

“But he’s the best in the business, honest, up front I respect that; that’s why I moved my account to his agency when he left Vangard; I’ve also noticed a subtle change in him lately, oh he’s still all business but some thing else, a bit more…”

“Human?”

“That’s it; I guess you may have had something to do with that”

“I’d like to think so”

“Well Justin you have my continued business and any other I can steer in your direction”

“Thank you Mr. Sampson, Brian will be very happy to hear that; it was very good meeting and working with you”

“Same here Justin, give Kinney my regards”

“Will do goodbye sir”

“Goodbye”

---peering out the door and whispering---

“Cynthia?”

“Yes Justin”

“Is he gone?”

“Yes and with a very happy smile on his face”

---loudly---“YEE HAW!”

“You did it Justin”

“No we did it”

“Come on call the twins call the whole agency tonight we celebrate”

“Yee haw”

---giggle---



---later that night---

“Hey”

“Hey”

“How’d it go with Sampson?”

“All signed sealed and delivered, he loved your ideas”

“And the art boards?”

“Well after the twins and I fixed them they were perfect”

“You let the fuck up duo help you?”

“Bri you know they’re not that bad when you give them a chance; I think you’ll be surprised when you go back to work”

“Ughh I can just imagine; so now they’re going to give me lip”

“Yup”

“Shit let a kid do a man’s work and this is what I get”

“Brian”

“I know, I know just teasing, I’m very proud of you”

“You are?”

“Of course I am I knew you could do it, I’m sorry that I didn’t ask for your help sooner”

“Well now you have no choice cuz I’m going to be there more often”

“Are you now”

“Yes I am and you’re going to need my help if old man Sampson has anything to do with it, he’s spreading the word about your agency as we speak”

“Our agency”

“Our agency”

“Well partner I guess I can be replaced”

“No Brian never replaced just mmm enhanced”

“And I take it you’re the enhancement”

“Yup a long with Cynthia and the twins”

“So I guess they deserve a raise”

---looking down at Brian’s crotch---

“Just as long as its not that raise”-grinning

“Well Sunshine I’m all rested and I actually ate something, are you too tired for a ‘raise’?”

“Never too tired for that kind of raise”

---both running to the bedroom---







Sabina

11/23/03