Brian was very busy at work on Friday and did not have any time to think or worry about the dinner that night.  He texted Justin letting him know that he would be unable to make the noon meeting, but would see him at the dinner party.  

Cynthia came into his office with a turkey sandwich around 1:30 and he looked up from a report he was reading.  "I know you're crazy busy today, but you need to eat.  I assume you are still leaving early today to pick up Gus?"

Brian nodded and said, "Thanks.  Gus is making dinner for the family tonight.  I've got a deadline for the BlueGreen account and I need to review the numbers for the second-quarter profits for my meeting with Ted at 2:00.  I know that my sobriety has resulted in increased productivity on my part, but I'm still only one person.  Days like today make me feel like I should clone myself,"  Brian said as he unwrapped the turkey sandwich, picked up the bread to verify there was no mayo on it, and took a bite.  It was dry and tasteless and he briefly wondered why he ever thought this was his go-to meal.  Justin had definitely taught him the pull of flavorful food that could be prepared quickly.  

"Is there anything I can help with?" Cynthia asked as she watched Brian's face, noticing that he appeared to really taste the sandwich.  She could see the internal, unspoken debate as to the merits of continuing to eat the sandwich.  Before each bite, he would lift up the top piece of bread, stare at it for a few moments, and then take a tentative bite after which he would scrunch up his face in distaste.  

"Call Ted and move the meeting to Monday.  A think a day won't make a difference. Just look at my schedule and find a good time early next week.  That should give me time to finish this campaign and I can review the report at a different time,"  Brian said, feeling a weight lift on his shoulders with just that small adjustment to his day.  "Thanks for the sandwich, even if it lacks taste.  I don't want to start my afternoon with Gus with me being hungry.  I think his anticipation for tonight's dinner rivals that of an actor on opening night.  He must have called me four times last night to verify that everything would be in place for tonight.  I've found that being hungry is not conducive to an even temper."

Cynthia smiled at Brian and said, "You're a good Dad.  I'm sure everything will be great."  She wanted to know more about tonight but knew it was not a good time to grill Brian.  He had a million things on his plate.  Since he had requested her help in managing them, she understood that no matter how impressed she was with Gus or how much she wanted to support Brian for the upcoming dinner, she needed to provide her support by doing as he requested and rescheduling the meeting with Ted.

When Brian's alarm went off at 2:45 signaling he needed to stop working in order to pick Gus up on time, he was pleased with the progress he had made on his to-do list.  He packed a few items into his briefcase hoping to have a little bit of time Sunday afternoon to do some work and then shut down his computer.  He said goodbye to Cynthia and told Ted he would see him later this evening.  He drove to Gus' school where he had to patiently wait to go through the carpool line.  He understood why it took so long since the teachers had to verify that the person picking up the child was supposed to be the one to do so, but he often wished for a better system.  Finally, Gus was in his car and they were on their way.

"Have you got the list for the food we need to pick up?  Are we going to Giant Eagle Whole Foods?"  Gus asked, having been to both places with his father and Emmett.

"Whole Foods.  It's closer," Brian answered. They had shopped at both places and he really didn't have a preference as there were pluses to both stores.  Today he wanted to get in and out with a minimum amount of fuss and distraction.  Whole Foods was smaller and he knew where the items they needed were located.  He thought back to the first time he and Gus walked into a grocery store and looked for spices.  Looking back on that trip showed him how far they had come in their culinary skills. Unlike then, now he could talk about spices and recognize which ones were used with which food, and he knew how to prepare several foods from start to finish.  While he had not been cooking as long as Gus, he didn't need the repetition that Gus needed.  He could also practice more than once a week since he and Justin had been cooking their meals together. 

They quickly gathered all the food they needed for the dinner and added some fruit and breakfast items for the weekend.  They were back at the loft by 4:45.  

Gus put his backpack in his room, stopping for a few minutes to admire Justin's drawing and marvel at the space.  He was very excited to have his own space at his father's home.  He walked into the kitchen where his father was putting the guava juice in the fridge.  

"I'll wash my hands and we can get started.  Thanks, Dad, for letting me have everyone over."

Brian said, "I do actually miss family dinners and this works."  After Gus was finished at the sink, he washed his hands as well and then cleaned the counter so they could use it for food prep.

"What's first?" Brian asked.

"First, we get the recipe and gather all the spices.  Gus pulled out the recipe that he and Emmett had been using for the last few weeks.  Emmett had copied the recipe and put it in a plastic sleeve so the recipe would not get food on it while they were cooking.  Next, he reviewed the list of spices they would need, locating each of them on the new spice rack that he and Emmett had bought a few weeks after they started cooking together.  

"Now, we rinse the chicken," Gus said. Gus got down a clean plate, opened the chicken package, and took out each piece, washing it before putting it on the plate.  

Gus looked at the recipe and followed each step carefully, directing Brian to assist him when needed.  When he had seasoned all the chicken and placed it in the baking pan, he asked Brian to place the pan in the oven.  

"One day, I'll be able to do that part by myself, but I don't want to drop the chicken.  It is pretty heavy in that pan," Gus said, proud of how he had followed the recipe and directed his father in the cooking.

"Now, we need to make the salad and later we can heat up the rolls.  What time did you tell everybody?"  Gus asked as he grabbed the bags of lettuce and the other items needed for the salad.

"I told them dinner was at 7:00, but they could arrive earlier if they would like.  I think Justin was planning on getting here a little early.   He knows how anxious I am about tonight," Brian said, looking at the clock on the oven.  It was already 5:45 and the chicken would take an hour to cook.  The timing was perfect; dinner would be ready before the guests were set to arrive.  This way Gus would not be finishing up his dinner preparations while people were entering the loft.  Hopefully, everyone would eat and leave pretty fast so he could relax a little.  A drink really sounded good right now, but he knew that this was his mind just going back to old habits.  He really didn't crave a drink and for that he was thankful.  Luckily, between his commitments at work, Gus, and AA meetings, he rarely had much downtime to contemplate drinking.  

Looking at how full his life was now, he often wondered how he found time to accomplish even the bare necessities of living, like going to the gym, spending a little time with Gus, and the odd doctor's appointment he needed to keep.  His mind wandered for a moment, thinking back to his drinking days, where his only concern was when and where he would meet the "boys" that night. He would have a mental ‘to do' list at work, checking off the items that had to be accomplished before he left for the day.  His workdays were much longer when he was drinking. He attributed that to taking two to three hours each morning to pump his body full of caffeine so he could function. After work, he'd go home for a few hours and finish the tasks that he needed to complete for the next day.  While Cynthia was a loyal employee and stepped up to assist him in every way possible, she had made it very clear that she, for one, appreciated his sobriety since she now left the office at a reasonable hour on most days.  He was thankful that she had stayed with him all these years.  After he'd completed the day's work, he would reward himself by going to Woody's or Babylon for a few hours, picking up tricks and booze along the way.  It was a vicious cycle and one day looked exactly like another.  The tricks meant nothing, just an anonymous hole to put his dick inside that provided a few moments of bliss before the void needed to be filled again.  Once he was finished with a trick, his mind moved to the next opportunity for instant gratification and it didn't seem to care if it was a drink or another hole.  

As he stood in the kitchen watching Gus wash some potatoes in the sink, he was thankful for the accident.  It sounded funny to say that he was thankful for a car accident that totaled his car, but he knew that it was the wake-up call that he needed to change.  The need to change had never occurred to him prior to the accident.  He had been satisfied with his life, not realizing that he had truly followed in his father's footsteps; go to work, grab a drink after work, eat dinner and go back to the bar where he had more than his share of alcohol, and then return home drunk, only to repeat the actions again the next day.  Thankfully, he had not followed in his father's footsteps by hitting Gus. 

"Dad," Gus said for the third time. "Dad, I need you to put the big pot on the stove so I can put the potatoes up to boil."

"Sure,"  Brian said as he reached for the large pot and started filling it with water.

"I called you three times.  Is everything okay?  I know you really didn't want to have the dinner tonight and I promise I won't ask again.  It's just..."

"Stop, Gus, " Brian said gently as he turned off the water and placed the pot on the stove. " You didn't do anything wrong and can have as many dinners as you'd like.  Well, not as many as you like," Brian backpedaled.  "But you can have the family over again.  I was just thinking about the changes in my life in the last 6 months."

"Oh,"  Gus said, not really sure how to respond to his father's statement.  "I like the changes since it means I get to spend every weekend with you and Justin and we get to do cool things like go to the Science Center,"  Gus said as he gently placed each potato in the water.  He poured a small capful of crab boil in the water to add some flavor to the potatoes.

Brian smiled at Gus' statement.  "I like doing things with you and Justin, too. Just curious, what did Debbie ask you about Justin after I left the other day?"

"She asked a lot of questions.  She wanted to know who Justin was and how often you saw him.  Then she wanted to know where we had gone, you know, all the places we've visited on a tour of Pittsburgh.  I really had to think back to the beginning when we first started going places.  I told her about our big list too. She seemed impressed that we had a list of places to see."

"Debbie the inquisitor," Brian said as he reached over the pot to turn the burner on.  "It just gave her a few more days to think about more questions.  Actually, I feel sorry for Justin, he'll probably get the third degree from her."

"What's a third-degree ?"  Gus asked, not having heard that term before.

"It's a police term.  It means when the police interrogate a person about a crime,"  Brian explained.

"Interrogate?" Gus asked.

"It means asking lots of questions.  Debbie tends to interrogate everybody. She often feels that everybody's lives are her business."

"Oh, is that why she always asks me a lot of questions?" Gus asked, thinking back to Sunday afternoon when he and Debbie were talking.

"That's just Debbie's way.  At least she is interested in what is happening in our lives, although, there are definitely times when I wish she were less interested.  She has a good heart and I know she cares," Brian said, thinking of his relationship with Debbie.  He had spoken about Debbie many times when he and Justin ate their after AA meals.  He knew he had some mixed feelings about her, but overall he was glad that she was in his life.  The same could not be said for his biological family and he was happy they were not a part of his life.  He worried for a moment what her reaction would be when she saw that Michael was not invited, but he did not regret his decision to exclude him.  

"My moms ask me a lot of questions too.  I guess that is just moms," Gus said.  "I hope my moms like dinner,"  Gus said as he walked out of the kitchen towards his room.  Brian followed him.

"I put my stuff on the bookshelf,' Gus said, pointing to his backpack.  "I can't wait for everybody to see my room and Justin's drawing.  Do you think we can do stuff around here tomorrow and Sunday so he could work on the wall?" Gus asked, the eagerness evident in his voice.

"I'm good with that, but it will be up to Justin.  I don't know what his plans are for the weekend.  I know he'll be here tonight, but after that, I'm not sure.  He has a life outside of being my sponsor,"  Brian said, hoping that Justin was available.  

"I know,"  Gus said and he turned around to give his father a hug.  "Thanks for agreeing to have everybody over for a family dinner.  I've missed you at dinners at Grandma Debbie's."

Brian returned the hug but didn't say anything.  He knew Gus understood his thoughts on the dinner and he was tired of talking about it since it was going to happen in less than an hour.

"Justin should be here in a little bit, do you want to play a game on the XBox?" Gus asked.

"Why don't you play on your Switch.  I'm going to do a little work before everybody arrives.  It's been a really busy week and I have a few files to review before a meeting that I have on Monday,"  Brian said as he left Gus' room and went to his computer area.

Gus took his Switch off the shelf and went into the living area where he sat on the couch and played.

Justin arrived about 5:30 and when he buzzed to come up, Gus eagerly buzzed the door and stood in the doorway of the loft waiting for the elevator to come up to the loft level.  Gus gave Justin a hug and said, "I'm so excited, but I'm a little nervous too.  Dad's working and everyone won't be here for another half hour or so.  Do you want to play a game on the Xbox?"

Justin looked over at Brian who appeared engrossed in his work.  Satisfied that he was okay, he said, "Sure.  Let me put my messenger bag out of the way and we can play,"  Justin said as he put his bag in Brian's room.  He didn't want to leave it by the door as he usually did, worried that people might trip on it.

Gus and Justin played a few games and then the timer went off in the kitchen.  "That must be the potatoes.  Can you help me take the pot off the burner?  It's too heavy for me.  I need to take the potatoes out, rinse them, and then cut them up into pieces. After that I'm going to add some parmesan and spices,"  Gus said, explaining all the additional steps he needed to complete.

"Sure.  Let's let your Dad work.  He seems pretty involved in his work," Justin said, wondering if Brian was having an internal meltdown, but hoping that he was as calm about tonight as he claimed to be.

Gus and Justin finished preparing the potatoes and Justin was impressed at Gus' skills.  Emmett was a good teacher.  Just as they had finished putting the potatoes on the plate, the timer dinged again.

"That's the chicken.  Justin, can you take out the chicken? I don't like taking stuff out of the oven."

Justin opened the oven and took out the chicken and placed the pan on top of the burners.  "It smells and looks delicious.  I can't wait to try it," Justin said as he heard his stomach growling.  "I don't think I ate lunch."

Before Gus could answer, they heard the buzzer announcing another visitor.  Gus ran to the intercom to ask who was buzzing and Emmett announced that he and Ted were there.  Gus buzzed them up. 

When Brian heard the buzz, he saved the work on his computer and shut it down.  He thought to himself, ‘it's showtime' and he hoped that he was not the center of attraction, but that Gus would be the star tonight.  

When Emmett and Ted walked into the loft, Brian gave both of them a hug and both men returned the greeting.  Emmett also gave Justin a hug.  

Ted had not met Justin but knew the man would be in attendance.  He said, "You must be Justin."  He reached out his hand to shake Justin's hand and Justin returned the handshake.  

"And you must be Ted.  I've heard a lot about you,"  Justin said, smiling at both men.  "I hope everyone gets here soon, I'm starving and the food smells delicious.  Emmett, you're a good teacher."

Emmett beamed at the praise.  Before he could add any more to the conversation, the buzzer went off and all the men heard Debbie's distinctive voice announcing her arrival.  

"I guess we are only waiting for Mel and Lindsay," Ted said. Before he could add anything, they heard the buzzer again, announcing Gus' moms.  "I guess we don't have to wait after all,"  Ted said and everybody laughed.  

When Mel and Linds entered the loft, Gus walked over to them and gave them a hug while everyone else just nodded at them. Gus knew he had about 10 minutes until dinner was ready and said, "Moms, come see my new room.  Dad bought me a bunk bed but it won't get here for a while.  But Justin is drawing me a picture on the wall.  You got to see it."  Gus waved everyone toward his little bedroom where the inflated mattress was folded neatly into a corner.

Lindsay eyed the small room and asked, "Gus, are you sleeping on the floor?  That is really not a good idea.  There is a lot of dust down there."

Gus rolled his eyes, thinking that his mother would always try to find fault with something. "No, I've got an air mattress.  Dad had it in storage.  We let the air out when I leave on Sundays.  This way if Justin has time during the week to work on the picture, the air mattress won't get in his way."  Gus pointed to the mural on the wall, beaming proudly at the special picture.

Lindsay had not noticed the mural, being too concerned about the lack of sleeping arrangements.  When she turned toward the wall, she was impressed and suddenly she put two and two together.  She turned toward Justin and asked, "Are you Justin Taylor, the artist?"

Justin didn't want this night to be about him, but he remembered Brian mentioning that Lindsay worked at an art gallery.  He wanted the night to be about Gus and for his presence to be seen as a support for Brian.  

"Yes, I'm Justin Taylor," Justin said, keeping his answer as brief as possible, hoping that she would leave him alone and focus on Gus' dinner. 

She walked toward the mural and started to examine each line with the practiced eye of an expert.  She started to comment, but before she could ask another question, the timer went off in the kitchen.

Gus said,  "Hey everybody.  Dinner is ready.  Let's go eat.  I know I'm hungry.  I didn't have time for a snack today,"

Mel and Lindsay both frowned at the mention of Gus not having a snack but didn't say anything.  Lindsay took one last look at the mural and everyone could see her fighting to ask more questions.  

Gus had been standing next to Brian and turned to whisper to him, "Dad, why is Mom so interested in Justin? He's just your sponsor."

Brian looked at Gus and said, "Sonny Boy, Justin is also an artist.  Your Mom has either seen his work or possibly been to one of his shows.  She's more interested in his painting than his connection to me."

"Oh," Gus said.  "I better get in the kitchen so I can tell everybody what they're eating. Aunty Emm said that was an important part of the meal."  Gus quickly left Brian's side and hurried to the kitchen.  

Brian ran his hand over his face and opened his mouth wide when his hand left his chin.  Justin came up to him and said, "Let's go eat."

"I'm sorry.  I should have known your work would have been recognized by Lindsay," Brian said as he looked at Justin's face, hoping to not see any anger there.

"Brian, it's fine.  It's a compliment that my work is recognized.  I'm the one who is sorry. Tonight should be about Gus, not me.  Do you want me to leave?  I can come back in a few hours."  Justin offered, hoping to take the spotlight off himself if Brian felt that was necessary.

"No, Gus will feel bad if you leave.  He made up the guest list and you were the first person he wanted.  I heard clattering in the kitchen.  We need to go join the hordes."  Brian said as he walked toward the kitchen.

When they got to the kitchen, Brian leaned down and whispered to Gus, "Okay, Sonny Boy it's time to talk.  Remember, what we talked about," Brian said, reminding him of their conversation on the way home from the grocery. 

"Dad hasn't been coming to dinner at Deb's and I missed him being there, so I wanted to cook for the family." Gus nodded and said, "Aunty Emm has been teaching me to cook and I wanted to cook for everybody.   Let's eat."

Everybody clapped and Gus beamed.  Everybody grabbed their plates and went to the kitchen for food.  Each person put some of each food on their plate and sat at the dining room table.  When everyone was seated, they all started eating.

"Gus, these potatoes are great. I don't even want to know what is in them," Ted said, as he cut another slice and placed it on his fork.

"Your chicken is really moist," Melanie said. 

"Delicious as always", Justin said.  "Pretty soon, I might have to have you come over and cook for me."

"That would be fun.  Do you think we could add that to our list?" Gus asked.

"I think that could be arranged,"  Justin said, happy that Gus had asked.

"Dad, can we go to Justin's some time and cook?"

"We can talk about it.  I thought you wanted him to finish your wall," Brian said, reminding Gus that Justin was already involved in one project.

"I forgot about the wall, but yeah, he should finish the wall first.  You are always reminding me to finish one project before you start another one.  I guess grown-ups have to do that too,"  Gus said.  He stabbed a piece of chicken and popped it in his mouth, happy that his cooking turned out okay.  

"Gus, what list?"  Lindsay asked.

"Oh Dad and Justin and me made a list of a bunch of things to do in Pittsburgh.  We try to do one thing a week."

"Dad and I," Melanie said, correcting Gus' grammar.

"I see. So that is why you like coming to your father's on the weekend. You guys only do the fun things," Lindsay said, trying to figure out a way to put a negative spin on their activities.  She could see that Gus had eagerly looked forward to his weekends with his father.  Now, it was all becoming clear, Brian was trying to bribe him with the fun things in life.

"No.  He makes me do my homework before we go anywhere.  I didn't have time today so I guess I'll have to do it in the morning or we can't do anything.  Dad and I also spend time reading and talking every weekend.  We are reading "Lord of the Rings" right now.  It's cool.  It has dragons and dwarfs, and fairies."   Gus explained to his mom.  "Sometimes, we do other stuff too.  We had to pick up Dad's shirts from a dry cleaner last week and we go to the grocery every week.  Dad makes it fun by having me pick stuff out."

"You go to the grocery.?  I would have thought he ordered everything online," Melanie said.

"I order a lot of things online, but I like to pick out my fruits and vegetables. I don't trust others to know what I want. Anybody can put toilet paper and toothpaste in a box.  I just don't order it from the Big Q."

At the mention of the Big Q, everyone looked at Debbie, wondering if she would mention Michael, or rather Micheal's absence.  And on cue, she asked, "Speaking of the Big Q, where is that prodigal son of mine?  I would have thought he would jump at a free homemade dinner."  She looked at Brian and then looked down at her plate to spear a piece of chicken.  

"He wasn't invited.  I told him if he could not accept that I was an alcoholic and stop inviting me to go drinking with him at Babylon and Woody's, then I didn't want him in my life,"  Brian said in a monotone voice, trying to keep the smoldering hurt and anger out of the response.  Brian was still hurt by Michael's rejection, even though he was not surprised by it.  He had moved forward with his life, sans Michael, and was seeing what true friendship really looked like. Both Emmett and Ted had stepped up and helped Brian in his recovery. Brian doubted that even if Michael had stopped asking him to go to the bars and drink, he would have seen other needs that Brian had and stepped up to help him.  Emmett had readily agreed to watch Gus and teach him to cook so Brian could go to AA meetings and Ted had helped in many other ways including the night he came over to help Brian dump his liquor.  Ted seemed to know just what to offer his friend.

"I see.  Well, he missed out on a great meal.  Gus, you done good,"  Debbie said, smiling at her grandson.  

"Thanks, Grandma Debbie.  Dad said I can have another dinner later and I plan on cooking dessert,"  Gus said proudly.  

Brian shook his head slightly at the mention of Gus cooking dinner, thinking about the extra time on the treadmill to burn off those calories.  He couldn't deny his son the opportunity to learn to cook and as a good father, he had to try all the dishes, but he hoped that Gus would not cook too many desserts.

"And when Justin finishes the painting on my wall, I think my bed will be here and we can have everybody over to see my new room.  Dad and Justin are going to put my bed together since the store said it would take longer to get it if they did it,"  Gus looked at his father and Justin, the pride evident in his voice.

"Gus should be so proud that he has your artwork on his wall, Justin. I would love to talk to you about showing your work at the gallery where I work," Lindsay said, finally finding the opening she'd been looking for all evening.  She couldn't believe that Brian had a relationship with Justin, an up-and-coming artist, and had somehow gotten him to paint a mural on his wall.  She wondered if Brian had tried to sleep with Justin and Justin had offered to paint the mural so he could visit Brian's bed again.

Brian grimaced at Linsay's question.  He had expected her to try and convince Justin to come into her art world, but he was just as convinced that it would be a very bad idea.  He had visions of her coyly asking probing questions of Justin, trying to get any dirt she could on Brian.  He knew he should have trusted his instinct and not invited her, but the horse was already out of the barn.  

"I'll give you my agent's card and you can talk to her,"  Justin said, hoping to put off Lindsay.

"Oh, surely, you could put a good word in for the gallery. After all, you are drawing a mural for Gus,"  She smiled and batted her eyes at him, forgetting for the moment her early speculation that he was gay.  She never did have a good handle on the "gaydar" thing. 

"Lindsay, drop it.  Justin said you could talk to his agent.  This isn't some social event where you are trying to impress everyone with your job at the gallery. We all know you are just a glorified assistant," Brian said, trying to put her in her place.  He felt bad that Justin was being put on the spot, especially since this was Gus' night.  

"Gus, I'm afraid we won't have any leftovers, Sonny Boy,"  Brian said as he stabbed the last piece of chicken on his plate.  "I guess I should have listened to you and bought that second package of chicken."

"We can always make it again.  Aunty Emm said we could try a new recipe tomorrow when you and Justin go to your meeting,"  Gus said.  

"I imagine we'll be cooking for a while, Gus.  I can't wait for us to try some new dishes,"  Emmett said as he looked at his star pupil.

Brian looked at Emmett, giving him a slight nod in appreciation of his deflection of the previous conversation.  "I guess that means you and I will have to go back to the grocery store, Gus."  Turning toward Emmett, Brian said, "Send me a list of ingredients that we should pick up.  I imagine that we don't have a huge selection in the kitchen."

"Aunty Emm, can we look at those new recipes you talked about when we finish dinner. This way we can decide what to cook.  I remember you talked about a few that sounded really good," Gus said.  He picked up his water glass and finished its contents.  

"Absolutely, Gus. But remember what we talked about?  We always clean up after cooking and eating.  No one wants to see dirty dishes on the table or in the sink, least of all your father.  Brian's made a lot of changes in his life, but he hasn't stopped being a clean freak,"  Emmett said, gently teasing Brian while adding kudos for his transformation.

"I'll take anyone's plate to the kitchen if they are finished," Justin offered as he pushed back his chair and picked up his plate.  He could feel the tension mounting in the room and wanted to try lessening it.

"I'll help,"  Lindsay said as she stood up and grabbed her plate.  "I know how Brian is about returning everything in its place."  She smiled at Justin, trying her best to use her country club manners.

"I'll help too. Like Aunty Emm said, the cook has to clean up,"  Gus said as he got up from the table.  

There were now three people helping and it took only one trip to clear the table. Brian went to the kitchen to wash the pans and put everything back in its place while Debbie watched the efficient process. Everything was cleaned and put away in less than 20 minutes since there were no leftovers.  

Brian dreaded returning to the dining room, wondering what the topic of conversation would be.  Typically at Debbie's Sunday dinner, the conversation was kept fairly light due to Gus being there and being old enough to at least understand some of the sexual nuances that had been common when he was younger.  However, he knew Debbie and the Gus' moms would be curious about Justin and he feared they would not hesitate to steer the conversation toward him.

Gus had returned to the dining area, but Justin was hanging a fresh towel on the oven door while Brian finished wiping the countertops. Justin glanced at Brian, feeling the nervous vibes coming from him.  He walked over to him and whispered, "Everything went fine. Relax."

Brian finished wiping the countertops and turned toward Justin, "Gus' meal was great, but now the grand inquisition will take place.  I know those vultures out there and Debbie, Mel, and Linds are going to start asking a million questions about you and why you are here.  I can just see it on their faces."

"Brian,"  Justin said, taking his hand and placing it on top of Brian's hand.  "I'm fine.  Let them ask.  We have nothing to hide.  Now, put the cloth in the laundry, wash your hands, and let's join everybody.  They are already watching us talk in here,"  Justin pointed to the laundry area and returned to the dining area.

"Brian, Gus said Justin is your sponsor,"  Debbie said and then turned toward Justin.  "Welcome to the family.  Now, I would normally invite you to Sunday dinner, but seeing how Brian doesn't come anymore, I guess I'll have to settle for seeing you here when Gus convinces his Dad to have us all over again."

"Debbie, a sponsor is someone who supports a person in recovery on an individual basis.  They aren't dating or anything.  Although I'm a little surprised that Justin is here as I always thought the sponsor wouldn't get so involved in the other person's life,"  Mel added, explaining the role to Debbie as she doubted that Brian was going to offer any explanation.

"It is unusual that a sponsor would be invited to such an intimate family event, right, Justin?"  Mel asked, trying in her own way to figure out the relationship between Justin and Brian. She wondered if there was more to their relationship than either of them were stating.

"Actually, Mel, there really isn't a line drawn in the sand where sponsors are concerned.  The recovering person is encouraged to make new friends and it's not unusual for people in an AA group to do things together socially,"  Ted added. "Remember Blake and I met again when I went to Rehab.  He couldn't date me while I was there, but the attraction was still there.  When I'd been clean for a while we started dating and now he's my partner,'  Ted said, trying to defuse the situation.  He understood what it was like to flounder when a person starts recovery.  No one but a recovering addict truly understands all the challenges that have to be addressed.  "Think of recovery like a spreadsheet that has errors, but you're not sure where the error is.  You have to go line by line, looking at each formula trying to figure out where the problem is.  Once you identify where the problem is, then you fix it and run the program again. A person in recovery has to take each part of their life apart and repair their damaged relationships and oftentimes learn new coping mechanisms before they are ready to live their life to the fullest.   A person's sponsor helps them do that,"  Ted said, trying to simplify the sponsor relationship.  

"Well said," Justin said, smiling at Ted for the in-depth explanation.  He knew Ted was in recovery and appreciated his supporting Brian in his journey.

"Well, that's a first.  Whatever happened to no apologies, no regrets,"  Debbie asked.  "You finally learning that everybody makes mistakes?" 

"I make mistakes and I admit it.  Don't make me think I made a mistake inviting you all here.  This is not grill Justin night.  Justin is my sponsor and he is helping me figure out who I want to be.  Now, can we change the topic?  I'm sure Justin did not come here to be bombarded with questions about his presence,"  Brian said, letting the small gathering know his feelings.

"Well some things don't change, Brian still tells us what to do,"  Debbie said with a little sarcasm.  "I, for one am really proud of Brian and Gus.  You all should be happy that Brian is not drinking and is spending every weekend with his son.  Isn't that what you wanted, Lindsay, for Brian to be a part of Gus' life, not just a drop in Dad?" 

"Of course.  We are thrilled about Brian's interest in having Gus around so much.  Gus tells us all about their adventures.  It is unfortunate that Brian has him every weekend because they get to do all the fun stuff together while we have to handle the day-to-day chores.  We're still the ones who have to make sure he gets his homework done and gets to school every day. Brian gets to be the fun parent.  No wonder Gus loves coming here," Lindsay said, letting everyone know that there were downsides to Brian's new found sobriety.

"Mom, even before Dad stopped drinking, we didn't do fun stuff.  We always spent the weekends running errands and cleaning the house,"  Gus said, defending his Dad.

"Sonny boy, we could make your moms happy and I could spend more time with you during the week too.  I couldn't do it every night, but I'm sure we could arrange for me to pick you up at least once a week after school.  You could do your homework here and now that you have a bedroom, you could even sleep here and I could get you to school,"  Brian said, mentally calculating what that arrangement would look like.

"Oh.  There really is no need to do that Brian.  It would be very disruptive to Gus.  He needs his routines,"  Lindsay said, back-pedaling on her earlier statements.

"Now which one is it, Lindsay?  Do you want me to be involved in the day-to-day stuff or not? And just so you know, Gus does his homework here, we run errands, go to the grocery, shop for clothes, and still find time to do ‘the fun stuff,"  Brian said, as he returned the verbal volley from Lindsay.

"Brian, we can discuss it later,"  Lindsay said, not giving any indication of her feelings about Brian's offer.  "But speaking of errands, we have to get to the grocery tonight, so I think we should be leaving,"  Lindsay stood up from the table, pushed her chair back, and walked toward the door.  "Gus, you did a great job with the chicken."  

Gus had walked to the door with his moms and reached out to give them a hug.  "Thanks.  I can't wait for you to come back and see my room.  Justin said he should be able to finish my drawing by next week and my bed should be here soon."

Brian did not get up from the table to walk Mel and Linds to the door.  He took several deep breaths, trying to calm himself down.  Justin walked to the door and said, "It was nice meeting you."

"I'll call your agent next week. Be sure to let her know to expect the call," Lindsay added, wanting to be sure that Justin hadn't forgotten his earlier statement.

Gus opened the door and let his moms out, and then closed it behind them.  

"Would you really pick me up from school during the week, Dad?" Gus asked, wondering if his Dad would be able to do that.

"I don't say things that I don't mean.  It wouldn't be a regular thing like it is when you spend the weekends with me, but sure I could probably do it once or twice a month,"  Brian said.  

After the girls left, Debbie said, " Brian you done good.  I guess it is okay that you don't come to family dinners.  Not drinking has made a lot of changes in your life.  I'm just sorry that my son can't figure that out."  Debbie stood up from the table and walked toward the door.  " I better be going too.  I gotta work in the morning."  She leaned down to kiss Gus on the cheek.  "I can't wait to eat another of your meals."

Gus opened the door for his grandmother.  "Thanks, Grandma.  See you Sunday."  He closed the door when she was gone.

Emmett said to Gus, "Why don't we look at those recipes we were talking about so I can text your Dad the information."  

"Sure,"  Gus said.  We can go in my room and we can sit on my blow-up bed."  Gus and Emmett left the dining room, leaving Ted, Justin, and Brian sitting at the table as Justin had returned to the dining room after Debbie's departure.

"Ted, I mentioned that we might have a meeting tonight. Would you like to join us?" Brian asked his friend.  "I would love a drink right now, but know that is just my old coping mechanisms coming out."  Brian moved his hand toward the couch and chair in the living space.  "We could move to the living area.  I'm sure Gus and Emmett will be a while."

"Sure, thanks Bri.  I am more than happy to join you," Ted said, feeling honored that his friend wanted him to join in this important event.

The three of them had a short meeting where Brian talked about his feelings regarding Lindsay's comments and Mel's accusations regarding Justin.  Brian was happy to discuss his thoughts and feelings and felt a sense of calm after he shared his frustrations with the women's comments. Justin praised Brian for his insights and ability to keep calm during the evening's verbal volleys.  About the time they finished their discussion, Emmett and Gus emerged from the small bedroom.

"Dad, Aunty Emm texted you the ingredients we will need for tomorrow.  We're going to make another Indian dish,"  Gus said as he joined everybody on the couch.  

"Well, I must be going.  I have a hot date tonight,"  Emmett said.  " Gus, you are a star pupil."  He walked over to Gus, giving him a hug. Turning to Brian he gave him a hug as well.  "You handled Lindsay really well.  I'm proud of you.  And Teddy, love that you put that B...  Melanie in her place,"  Emmett said, watching his language in front of Gus. Reaching out to give Ted a hug, he told the small group, "see you tomorrow." 

"I've got to go too.  I promised Blake we would watch a PBS special on the new opera that the Pittsburgh Symphony is performing,"  Ted said as he walked toward the door as well.

Before Brian could ask, Justin said, "I can stick around a little if you'd like to watch that movie we were talking about the other night.  This week has been really busy with getting ready for my show and I'd like a chance to chill."  

"Sounds good."  Brian turned towards his friends and said, "Enjoy your show, Ted and have fun on your date, Emmett.  We'll see you tomorrow Emmett.  Gus and I will get to the store so you can teach my son how to cook more fattening food.  One thing about not drinking, I have more time to run on the treadmill.  It's a good thing since all the recipes that you and Gus are cooking up are filled with sauces and carbs,"  Brian said as he reached out to both friends to give them each a hug.  Opening the door, he said, 

"good night.."

He closed the door and said to Gus, " Do you have any homework?"

"Yeah.  I have a book to finish and some math problems.  Can I do them tomorrow?" Gus asked.

"It's late.  I think tomorrow is a good idea.  Why don't you get ready for bed and I'll come to say good night in a few minutes,"  Brian said.  He turned to Justin, "I'll make some coffee if you'd like.  I could go for a few cups."  Brian walked toward the kitchen.

"Sure, sounds good.  I'm going to check my messages on my phone while you do that and take care of Gus.  I felt it buzz a few times during dinner,"  Justin said as he took out his phone.

Brian prepared the coffee, tucked Gus in for the night, and then joined Justin where they watched the movie Brian had talked about.  

After the movie, Justin yawned, and said, "I guess it is time for me to head out too.  Do you want me to come by to work on the mural tomorrow or have you two got plans?"

"Come over at about 1:00.  That should give us time to shop and for Gus to finish his homework.  Thanks again for coming tonight.  I hope it wasn't too uncomfortable for you.  I did warn you about Lindsay,"  Brian said.

"It was fine.  See you tomorrow,"  Justin said and gave Brian a hug.  They walked to the door and Brian let Justin out.  He checked the alarm, shut off the lights, and got ready for bed.  He found that the adrenaline his body had been producing all day had finally dissipated and he was suddenly very ready for sleep.

TBC