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Ben picked up J.R. and they chatted while he drove to Britin.  Jenny wasn't sure why her moms were always yelling at her and didn't seem to want to be with her.  She was happy that Daddy Ben had agreed to come and get her.

 

"Daddy Ben,can I  stay with you like Gus is staying with his Daddies?"  J.R. asked while she looked out the car window.  "Now that Gus isn't home, there isn't anyone to play with and my mommies are always yelling at each other."

 

Ben winced at the innocent statement and didn't like the implications behind it.  "J.R.  Tell me about the arguing."

 

"Oh, like tonight.  Momma brought me home and when she got there, Mom was sitting at the table and they started yelling about dinner. Last night, Mom and Momma argued about cleaning the kitchen and who would take me to school.  Tonight, Momma told me to clean the kitchen while she got dinner.  She used to let me come with her, but now that Gus isn't here to clean up, she says I have to do it."

 

"Is cleaning one of your chores?"  Ben was careful to ask simple questions, wanting to avoid any implication of impropriety.

 

"Yes.  Gus used to clean the kitchen and empty the dishwasher every day.  I would set the table. Now that he isn't home, Momma says I have to do it.  She doesn't do anything.  LIke tonight, the breakfast dishes were still there from this morning and I couldn't clean the counter since the dishwasher wasn't all emptied.  I can empty the silverware, but I can't reach the plates and glasses; that's why Gus did it.  Momma seems to forget that I'm not as tall as Gus.  She wants me to vacuum and clean the sink in the bathroom too.  I can do those since I don't have to be tall."

 

"How long does it take you to do all that?"

 

"I start when I get home from school and  I guess it takes until dinner time.  Then I eat dinner, clear the table and do my homework."

 

"Do you have any time to play or watch TV?"

 

"A little.  There is usually time for one tv show on Nickelodeon.  But then, I have to take my bath and its time for bed."

 

"Is it a lot different now that Gus is not living with you?"

 

"Well, sort of.  When Gus was at home, we would come home from school and do our chores.  Sometimes Momma and Mom would tell him to start dinner or do other stuff around the house.  He didn't have a lot of time to play.  I miss having Gus around.  Even if we had to do stuff around the house, he would help me with my homework and explain stuff to me.  When I ask Mom or Momma, they tell me to figure it out myself."

 

"What do your Mothers do while you are doing your homework and chores?"

 

"Mom is usually in her study working.  She's always telling me that she has to work at home since she had to stop work and pick me up from school.  I'm not sure what Momma does. She comes home for dinner, but then she says she has to leave and go places.  She isn't home too much at night. She goes to her room and gets dressed real nice and leaves after dinner."

 

Ben was becoming more agitated as he continued to question J.R.  Brian's assessment of the girl's parenting was correct.  It really didn't appear that they were all that interested in their children and used them to do chores around the house, but spent little time as a family.  He needed to intervene. 

 

They arrived at Britin and Ben parked the car.  Opening the door, J.R. got out and gave him a huge hug.  "We're at Uncle Brian and Uncle Justin's house.  Do you think I can see Gus?  It's been so long."

 

"Yes.  That is why we came here instead of going to my house.  I talked to your Uncle Brian and he suggested you come for dinner and then we can stay a little bit.  You have school tomorrow but we can come back this weekend too, if you want."

 

They walked to the door and rang the bell.  Justin answered the door and smiled at them.  "Come in, we were just getting ready to eat.  Brian told me you were coming so there is a place set for both of you."

 

J.R. practically ran into the house as Justin opened the door and yelled for her brother, "Gus.  Gus..  Where are you?"

 

Gus came out of the media room and hugged his sister.  "How'd you get here?  It's a school night."  Gus asked as he looked at his sister.

 

"Mom and Momma were arguing again and I called Daddy Ben to see if he could pick me up and take me to dinner.  Momma was sitting at the kitchen table when Mom and me got home and nothing was ready for dinner.  Momma said she would go get something but she wanted me to clean the kitchen while Mom worked.  No one pays any attention to me.  I called Daddy Ben to see if he wanted to spend time with me.  He plays with me and pays attention when I'm there."  She gave Gus a long explanation for an 8 year old but she wanted someone to hear her. 

 

"I'm sorry, J.R.  I know its hard.  Mom and Momma forget we're there a lot.  It's nice being here with Dad and Justin.  Maybe you could stay with your dads?"

"I don't want to be with Daddy Michael.  He is just as bad as the moms.  All he wants to do is talk about comics.  I know he always says he's your Dad's best friend, but I don't see Uncle Brian talking about comics all the time."

 

"What about Ben?  He seems really cool," Gus asked.  "I remember he played Parchessi and Uno with us."

 

"Yeah.  He plays games but he's fun to hang out with too.  I don't know. We do fun stuff like make smoothies and he'll watch tv with me.  Not just the comic stuff, fun stuff like Girl Meets World.  He talks to me too.  I like Daddy Ben."

 

J.R. and Gus walked to the media room, unaware that their conversation had been heard by the adults in the house.  "Want to play some video games?  I've got Toy Story 3.  It's pretty cool."

 

"We don't have any video games at home.  Momma and Mom think they are a waste of time, but you know that.  You're so lucky you get to live where your parents pay attention to you and let you have games and stuff."

 

The two children got out the game console and Gus showed his sister how to play the game, giving her a controller.  The adults let them play a little before calling them for dinner. 

 

Ben, Justin and Brian sat in the living room while Colin played on the floor.  He had a rug that was spread out on most of the floor, keeping him off the floor and keeping the floor clean from his inevitable accidents.  He had a plastic toy ring set with six brightly covered rings in increasing size that went over a cone, several plastic books and about six large connecting beads to explore.  Currently, he was trying to fit the largest ring into his mouth but since the hole was almost the size of his wrist, it was an impossible feat.

 

Ben drank from the glass of water that Justin had given him before they entered the room. "I don't know what to do.  Listening to J.R., her situation seems to be similar to Gus' but unlike you, I have zero claim to her.  It just eats at me that she should have to be where she is not really wanted when I could offer her a loving home."

 

Brian tried to stay away from the liquor cart while the children were awake, but wished he could have a large drink at the moment.  "Ben, it is really complicated."

 

"Don't I know it,  My husband really doesn't want a full time child and I doubt he would support going for full custody of J.R."

 

"Tomorrow is Friday and my attorney should be working.  I'll call him.  Whatever happens, it won't be fast."

 

"Ben," Justin said.  "Would you push for custody of J.R. if Michael didn't want her?"

"Yes.  I told Brian yesterday that being a father is really important to me.  I know Michael doesn't want to be a full time parent, but if there is any way that I can, I will take that opportunity."

 

"That's a big change," Justin said.  "We would help, if you needed it. After all , Gus and J.R. are siblings and we don't want to keep them apart."

 

"Thanks.  I guess we better feed the kids and I need to take J.R. home.  It is a school night.  She was so cute, asking me if I was going to take her to school tomorrow.  I really love that little girl and I want to see her happy."

 

"Gus,  J.R.  time for dinner." Brian called.  He went to Colin and picked up the baby too, carrying him to the kitchen and putting him in his high chair.

 

"Daddy, can J.R. come over again this weekend?  She said that she is staying with Uncle Ben and Uncle Michael.  Momma and Mom never want to come over here for us to play together.  They are always too busy,"  Gus asks as he and J.R. walk to the kitchen.

 

"Did you wash your hands?" Brian asks as they start to sit down. 

 

J.R. and Gus look at each other, each one realizing the other is guilty of not washing their hands and they shrug.

 

"Go," Brian said as he pointed to the bathroom off the kitchen.  "You guys know the rules."  He grins and takes a wet washcloth and cleans Colin's hands before placing his bowl on his high chair.

 

The bowl is filled with puffs, one of his favorite foods since he can feed himself these with fair accuracy.  Brian likes them as they are easy to clean up.  He refused to give Colin traditional baby food as he said the stuff was nauseating. One of the things Chloe does is make fresh food for Colin and stores it in the fridge.  She makes it every day and Justin makes it for him on the weekends.  Brian refuses to even contemplate what the mystery foods are and is content to let other adults deal with that small detail.

 

"What's for dinner, Daddy?" Gus asked as he sits down at the table.

 

"Chicken and rice in Thai curry sauce.  It's really mild so you should like it."

 

"What's Uncle Ben going to eat.  He doesn't eat chicken."

 

"Daddy Justin made a tofu stir fry when he heard that he was coming."

 

"Thank you, Justin.  I would have been fine with a salad," Ben said.

 

"No problem.  We had some tofu left over from the dinner the other night and I just cooked up some veggies and threw in a few spices. I love to cook."

 

"Daddy Ben, if I came to live with you would I have to learn how to eat Tofu?  I like chicken and meat."

 

There was laughter from everyone at the table and J.R. looked at her father for an answer.

 

"No sweetheart.  Your father doesn't eat Tofu and neither does Hunter.  We would find something else for you to eat.  When you come stay with us on the weekends, you don't eat Tofu."

 

"Yeah, but that's different.  I visit you then, and Momma always says to treat guests really nice."

 

She took a bite of her chicken and rice.  "This is yummy.  Can we have this at your house, Daddy?"

 

"I'll ask Uncle Justin for the recipe.  Maybe we can make it together.  I'm sure Uncle Brian did not cook it."

 

"Why not?  Uncle Brian always says he can do anything.  I'm sure he can cook."  She turned to Brian and asked, " You can cook, right Uncle Brian.  Daddy always says you can do anything."

 

All the adults tried to choke down their laughter, but were only partially successful. 

 

"I can do lots of things, just like your daddy says.  But, J.R. cooking is not one of those.  Uncle Justin is the best cook and I let him do all the cooking. I do other things."

 

"Momma and Mom used to cook together, but lately, Momma works all the time and Mom brings something in.  I think the only time stuff is cooked is at breakfast.  I want to learn how to cook.  Can you teach me, Daddy Ben?  You're really smart.  You teach those students at the college."

 

She took another bite of her chicken and rice and drank some milk.  She thought for a few minutes and then asked, " Uncle Justin and Uncle Brian did you go to college?  Momma always tells me I have to do really good in school so I can go to college.  She says Daddy Michael didn't go to college cuz he didn't do well in school."

 

Ben cringed inwardly at J.R.'s words.  He knew that Mel always talked badly about Brian, especially to Gus.  He often felt sorry for the young boy as he adored his father but one of his mothers never had anything good to say about him.  But to hear that his daughter was being told that her father didn't do well in school - ie that he wasn't smart really made him angry.

 

"Honey.  There are a lot of things that your Daddy Michael is really smart about. Not everyone is smart about the same thing."

 

"Oh," Jenny said as she tried to think about a topic where he was smart. 

 

"Your daddy knows a lot about comic books and movies and he runs a store." As soon as Ben said these things, he thought about the truth behind those words.  Michael did know a lot about comic books and superheroes and he did run a store, but said store did not really make a profit.  If it weren't for Rage, he would have gone under long before.  Ben started to question what his marriage was really about.  Michael did not seem to care about the same things that he did; ie J.R., social justice. Lately,he begun to wonder how much Michael really cared about their marriage.  It was beginning to feel that Michael was more interested in marriage since Brian and Justin were married, rather than in their own marriage. He wondered when he got so cynical. 

 

He imagined that he was finally accepting the fact that his husband saw marriage as a way to be similar to his "best friend" rather than trying to work at their marriage. The conversation they had the other night regarding J.R. and custody brought the reality to an ugly head.  Michael only saw the little girl as a means to hang out with Brian.  He really hadn't thought about her living arrangements or whether her mothers were caring for her in a healthy way.  Since he heard that Brian had taken custody of Gus, he decided that maybe he should take custody of J.R. Ben's advice to take it slow was somewhat backfiring when the little girl called him tonight and asked to be picked up.  Seems that Michael was right but for all the wrong reasons. 

 

"So Daddy Michael knows alot about comic books and superheroes.  That's cool, but they aren't real.  Gus knows about comics too.  He tells me about Ironman, Captain America and Thor.  I guess that makes Gus smart too.  Do you think he could run the store?"

 

"It takes more to run a store than to know about the comic book superheroes, J.R." Gus said.  He saw the adults at the table nod their heads in agreement with his statement. 

 

"J.R.,  speaking of your Dad, we should be getting home soon.  He'll be wondering where I am and we need to make up your bed.  We might need to stop at the store for something for you to eat for breakfast.  I'm sure you don't want a protein shake and all your Daddy Michael eats is Captain Crunch.  You need to have something with protein and less sugar for breakfast so you can stay focused in school.  What do you eat at your house for breakfast?"

 

"Mom, usually just gives me pop tarts or a rice crispy treat."

 

"Do you have any cheese or eggs with those?  What about peanut butter?"

 

"We used to have eggs and sometimes Mama would make waffles and I would put peanut butter on them, but she says she is too busy now, so I just get a pop tart."

"Well, you aren't getting a pop tart at our house.  Do you like bagels?  We could toast a bagel and put some peanut butter on it?"

 

"Yum.  There is nothing better than a hot bagel with peanut butter. The peanut butter justs melts on the bagel. They are great."

 

Brian and Justin looked at each other, communicating in their silent mode, but both obviously thinking the same thing.  "Ben", Justin said.  "Why don't I get a bag of bagels from the fridge.  We have a small jar of peanut butter you can have too.  It's getting late and I know you have at least half an hour drive back to the city.  This way you won't have to stop at the store."

 

Smiling, Ben said, "That would be great.  Thanks guys."  Turning to J.R.  he said, "Finish your dinner and you and Gus can play for 15 minutes before we have to leave.  We can come back this weekend if Brian and Justin aren't busy."

 

"Why don't you plan on coming out tomorrow night.  I will have time to talk to my friend by then and we can discuss the issues," Brian said, knowing Ben would understand the couched language.

 

"Thanks, Brian. J.R.- remember 15 minutes."

 

The children asked to be excused and they left, moving to the media room for a quick game on the XBox. 

 

Ben took his and J.R.'s plate to the sink, emptying the scraps into the disposal.  "Do you really think I have even the remote possibility of keeping that little girl?"

 

"I honestly don't know, but we will help in any way we can," Brian said.

 

"I don't have the money you guys do.  I'm sure Mel will bring up the income and my HIV status as reasons not to have me raise J.R."

 

"Leave Mel to me.  Let's see what the lawyer says.  I have some ideas." Brian said as he went to Ben and shook his hand.

 

"I guess we better get going.  It will be hard enough explaining to Michael why we have J.R. all weekend."

 

"Take care, Ben.  If Michael becomes too much of an ass, let me know.  I can reign him in too."

 

"I don't know what do say.  I'll see you tomorrow night."

 

Ben walked toward the media room and called J.R. when he got to the doorway.  " Come on, sweetheart.  I know you miss your brother, but we need to get home.  We're coming out tomorrow night, so you can play again with him."

 

The two siblings said good night to each other and Ben and J.R. left. Ben holding a bag of bagel and J.R. holding a special rock that Gus had given her.

 

They drove to Ben and Michael's house in the city and J.R. watched the world through the window.  They arrived at the house and Ben saw that Michael wasn't home.  Michael hadn't expected him tonight as he usually taught on Thursdays.  He would have time to get J.R. settled before his conversation with his husband.  They made up J.R.'s bed and he made sure she brushed her teeth and washed her face before she got into bed.  They read a short story and he kissed her good night. Closing her door, he breathed in a deep breath and walked to the kitchen to grab a beer. 

 

He didn't drink very often, but occasionally a good beer was just what he wanted.  He popped the top and sat on the couch, allowing his thoughts to coalesce in his mind.  About 10:00 pm, Michael came home, smelling like smoke and stale beer. 

 

Ben wrinkled his nose at the smell of his partner.  "Go shower.  You stink," he said as he waved his hand toward their bedroom. 

 

"Want to join me?" Michael asked.

 

"No.  We have some things to talk about and if I join you, we'll just end up in bed and not talk."

 

"We can talk tomorrow," Michael whined as he went to kiss his husband.

 

"No, we need to talk tonight.  J.R. is here and I need to take her to school in the morning."

 

"J.R. is here?  Why?  How? ..."

 

"Go shower and we'll talk when you are done," Ben repeated.  He finished his beer and walked toward the kitchen to put the bottle in the recycling. 

 

Michael said, "Okay.  But you better have a really good explanation." He walked off toward their bedroom, thinking about why she should be in their house.

 

TBC

 

 

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