Chapter 22

Friday morning Gus was up earlier than normal and had poured his cereal and orange juice and was sitting at the table when Lindsay came down to the kitchen.

 "You're up early.  Everything okay?"  She asked, surprised to see him this early on a school day.

"I'm just excited about the dinner tonight.  I can't wait for everybody to try my new dish and Emmett and I have a surprise dessert.  Justin and his sister Molly are going to be there and I can't wait to meet her.  Dad has taken her on a couple of fake dates, but this one won't be a fake date.  I can't wait for school to be out so Dad and I can go shopping for the food and Emmett and I can start cooking,"  Gus said as he finished his juice and started scooping some cereal on his spoon.

"Justin and Molly will be there.  How interesting,"  Lindsay said, already plotting ways to get to know Justin Taylor better.  This was a golden opportunity.  But Lindsay couldn't figure out why his sister would be invited.  This was new and she would have to do some digging.  She was glad that her day was light.  Maybe she could dig up something on this Molly.

"I packed my lunch and Tommy's mom is picking me up today.  It's her day for carpool.  Love you,"  Gus said and he was out the door before Lindsay could ask him any more questions.

She would just have to wait and Lindsay did not like waiting.

Chapter 23

As Gus left for school and Lindsay went upstairs to talk to Melanie as she finished dressing. Since Melanie did not get into the office until after 9:00 Lindsay was responsible for getting Gus off to school in the morning and picking him up in the afternoons.  Lindsay frequently went to their bedroom after Gus left for school to have some uninterrupted time to talk to her wife.

While Lindsay was usually happy with the arrangement, It was sometimes a point of contention between them as Lindsay felt Melanie was not as vested in Gus' life and care as she purported to be. After all the discussions about children and how they wanted to raise a child together, Lindsay found that she often was the primary caregiver for Gus. When he was younger, they argued a lot about this area, but in the last few years, the arguments had lessened until recently when Brian decided to pay for Gus' care directly rather than give them money for him.  Melanie could look the other way when they were getting money for Gus and pretend that Lindsay was earning that money for the household.  Now that the money was not there, Melanie was again beginning to resent the arrangement. She loved Gus but as he got older and looked more like his father, her resentment grew. 

As Melanie thought about her upcoming day and the clients that she was supposed to see, her thoughts turned to the ridiculous dinner party that Gus had again invited them to. When Gus had invited them a few months ago, it had been a novel experience but even then they were cautious about the arrangements with Emmett to watch Gus while Brian went to AA.  They knew Emmett as he was part of their little group but his ability to safely watch Gus and to make sound decisions about the care of a 10-year-old was questionable.  Gus had raved about the time he spent with Emmett and while they weren't thrilled about him watching Gus, they felt that they didn't have much choice in the decision.  Brian had gone to significant lengths to guarantee his rights with Gus and as a lawyer, Melanie knew that Brian had rights that no court would take away just because he spent a few hours each week with a flaming queen learning to cook.  

But tonight was the second time that Gus had invited them to dinner.  The first time was a novelty but tonight made it more like a regular event.  While the food had been good and she appreciated that she didn't have to think about what to eat for dinner, the fact that they had to spend a free evening at dinner at Brian's home irked her. She thought about her current cases and wondered if she could come up with an excuse that she had to work on a case instead of attending this evening.  She quickly dismissed the idea but her resentment was still there.  She was not looking forward to the dinner, despite the fact that Gus was learning an invaluable skill and wanted to show his new skills off to his family.

As she finished buttoning her blouse, she heard Lindsay coming up the stairs.  She looked at the clock on her nightstand and saw that she had about 20 minutes before she needed to leave.  Unlike her thoughts about the dinner tonight, she enjoyed her time with Lindsay in the mornings after Gus left for school. There was a guarantee that there would be no interruptions from Gus and it was highly unlikely that anyone would call that early in the morning.

Lindsay came into their bedroom and said, "Gus told me that Justin and his sister will be coming to the dinner tonight."

Mel frowned at the abrupt start to the conversation and she could feel the annoyance regarding the dinner tonight increase.  "That's odd.  Gus has mentioned that Justin is around every weekend and he mentioned something about a show that he had, but he's never mentioned a sister.  I wonder why she is coming?"

"We talk while he's getting ready in the morning and share a lot of information.  It's a shame you aren't able to join us,"  Lindsay said, knowing that Melanie was very happy letting Lindsay take full responsibility for this chore.

Melanie chose to ignore Lindsay's thinly veiled jab, but instead said, "Maybe Brian is more serious about Justin than we thought.  Maybe inviting his sister is like introducing the in-laws."  Lindsay raised her eyebrows as she speculated about their relationship.

"I don't give a flying fuck about Brian and his relationships.  As Brian says, ‘Who I fuck is none of your business, unless it is you that I'm putting my dick in.'  I think he has the right idea.  Linds, he isn't your responsibility."  Melanie shrugged and walked into the closet to grab the coat of her suit off the hanger.  

"But if he is dating Justin and they break up, it could affect Gus.  Aren't you concerned about him?  He talks all the time about Justin and Brian,"  Lindsay said, wringing her hands.

Melanie turned toward her wife and said, "Lindsay, I don't know why it matters to you what that asshole does.  He has his own life and we have ours.  He's already stopped giving us money for Gus and he went to a lawyer to guarantee his rights to see Gus.  He's screwed us and unless you can figure out a way to change either of those things, I'd rather not spend my time talking about him.  I have many more interesting and fun things to think about.  Now, if you'll move, I have to get to work.  With this absurd dinner party that Gus insists we attend, I have to leave work early and I have a full day ahead of me."  Melanie walked out of the room, goes to the kitchen, grabs her briefcase, and walks out of the home.  She normally would grab a banana or a muffin for breakfast but she is too irritated to do so.  She got in her car and drove to Starbucks, grabbing a coffee and a breakfast sandwich to go.  

Meanwhile, Lindsay stood in their bedroom trying to figure out what happened to their conversation and how it went sideways. She wanted to talk to Melanie about Justin and his sister and their conversation had turned into another tirade about Brian his money and Gus.  She shrugged and realized that she needed to get to work.  She went downstairs, grabbed her phone, lunch, and purse, and left for work.  

When she got to work, she still thought about Justin and his sister and while Melanie had not wanted to engage in conversation regarding her thoughts on the subject, she wasn't ready to put the topic to rest. Looking at her calendar, she saw that she had two appointments that morning but that her afternoon was free.  Her first appointment wasn't until 11:00, so she booted up her computer and started searching for information on Justin and his sister.  

Gus had said her name was Molly so she started with a Google search on Molly Taylor.  Unfortunately, Molly Taylor was way too common a name so she changed her search to a search for Justin Taylor, an artist, but that also proved fruitless as there were at least 10 artists with that name.  She then went to the webpage of the venue where Justin had his latest show and found a short bio.  Unfortunately, there was nothing about his personal life and she hit her hand on the desk in frustration.  She couldn't call up his agent again as that had been a total bust the last time she had attempted it and she had run out of ideas regarding ways she could find out information.  When she looked at her clock, she realized that she had run out of time for her investigation and she would have to wait until this evening.  She made a list of questions to ask and at 10:55 am finally started her day at work.

******************************

Brian

Brian was so happy that it was Friday and was looking forward to the weekend.  He and Gus would pick up the food for his second dinner this afternoon and after dinner, Justin would spend the night.  He was surprised at the anticipation he had for the weekend.  Prior to his sobriety, he had not necessarily looked forward to the weekend.  His routine had been going to work, going to Woody's, and then to Babylon and picking up as many tricks as he desired.  On weekends, he often worked on Saturday morning and even Sunday morning, and the only differentiation to his routine would be that he would hang out at the gym or with the guys a little longer on the weekend. The evenings and early mornings all blurred together and one weekend was just like another.  He remembered those times, but they were quickly becoming a blurred memory as he continued his sobriety.  Now his nights involved attending an AA meeting followed by dinner with Justin and occasionally Cleo.  He was learning to cook, thanks to Justin's tutelage and finding that he looked forward to a chore that he'd always found tedious and uninteresting.  In addition, he looked forward to the weekends as he now spent them with Gus.  He was deepening his relationship with his son and now he was dating.  Who would have thought he'd ever say those words or even think them without cringing?   He smiled at the thought of Justin and leaned back in his chair as he thought of all the changes in his life in the last 10 months. Justin had been instrumental in those changes but as Justin often reminded him, he had done the work and it was his choice to make the changes.  He was lost in his memories but was interrupted in his journey down memory lane by a knock on his door.

Brian said, "Come." Ted walked into the room.

"Dinner is at 5:30, right?  Is there anything we should bring?  I'm excited that Blake will be joining us this time.  He has a rare early Friday and he's excited to meet Justin."

"Really?"  Brian said, raising his eyebrows as he quickly thought back to the last ten months and realized that Ted's statement was true.  Justin was such a big part of his life and he had talked to Ted about him numerous times, it seemed like everyone should be familiar with him. "I guess he hasn't met him, but why would he be interested?"

"I guess it is interesting to meet the man that helped tame the great ‘Brian Kinney'.  While Blake and I do not frequent Babylon, anyone who has spent any length of time on Liberty Avenue has heard about the legendary Brian Kinney.  Even though you haven't been tricking since you got sober, your name still comes up as the Stud of Liberty Avenue.  Blake is interested in meeting the man who not only helped you with your sobriety but also started a relationship with you. It's impressive to see the changes in your life."

"I'm surprised that my Stud status still stands considering no one has seen me in Babylon for almost a year," Brian said, shrugging his shoulders.  He thought about Justin and wondered how he would react to this conversation.  Since it had only been less than a week since they had moved to the next level, they really hadn't spoken about what that might look like in the future.  He shuddered when he thought about yet another conversation that would be added in the near future.  

"Something wrong, Bri," Ted asked as he saw Brian shudder.

Brian was quick to answer.  "No.  Just thinking about Babylon and what I used to be like when I was drinking."  

Ted nodded in acceptance, but he wondered if Brian was telling him the entire truth about his comment.  "Okay.  I know you have a busy day as you leave early to pick up Gus.  I'll leave you to your work.  See you later,"  Ted said and walked out of Brian's office.

Brian thought about his recent discussion with Justin when he reached for the condom.  He remembered he needed to buy more and made a note to stop by the store before he picked up Gus.  At almost 11, Gus knew what condoms were for, but he wasn't ready to go into that discussion with him.  

*********

Gus

Gus was so excited about his second dinner party that he had a lot of trouble concentrating at school.  He didn't want to get in trouble with his teachers so he tried with some success to pay attention to his lessons and complete his homework in study hall.  He didn't want to have to spend time this weekend doing homework and miss out on some new adventure with his Dad and Justin.  He was really excited about cooking breakfast with Justin and his father.  Justin had promised him they would make pancakes.  He had helped Justin make omelets last weekend but pancakes were more complicated, or at least he thought they were.  He remembered last weekend when his Dad had asked about Justin spending the night.  He'd had a lot of time to think about that conversation and hoped it meant that Justin and his Dad were together.  He had talked to his friend Tommy a lot in the last few months about Tommy's Dad and what it was like to have him date.  Tommy said his Dad was a lot happier when he had a lady in his life.  While his dad didn't like women, Gus thought his dad was pretty happy with Justin around.  He'd been thinking about what the three of them could do on Saturday and had a few ideas.  He couldn't wait to talk to Justin and his Dad about his options.  

He ran out of the building when the last bell rang, hoping his Dad was in the front of the line.  He spotted his Dad about 4 cars back and he impatiently waited while the cars inched forward to pick up his fellow schoolmates.  When Brian drove up, Gus quickly opened the back door, throwing his backpack onto the floorboards, and then got in the front seat, put on his seatbelt, and said, "Hi Dad, I've got my list all written out and I can't wait for tonight."  

"Woah.  Slow down, Gus.  We are not in a race.  We bought a lot of the ingredients last weekend, so we just have to get the ingredients for the pancakes and pick up fresh chicken.  It should only take about 30 minutes and then Emmett said he'd meet us at 4:15 at the Loft."

"I'm so excited. Thank you for letting me have another dinner. Do you know that Emmett said it is a debut?  He told me all about how girls used to go to big parties to come out.  Sounds really weird. I'm glad I'm not a girl.  When are Justin and his sister coming?  I can't wait to meet her.  I bet she is really cool, like Justin,"  

Brian grinned at Gus' stream of consciousness.  He found that talking to him was delightful.  "Leave it to Emmett to know the history of debutante balls,"  Brian said as he shook his head in amusement.  "I told Molly that the dinner started at 5:30 so I imagine she'll get her a little before that time.  As for Justin, I don't know if he'll come early or not."

"Is he having a sleepover again?  He said we'd make pancakes.  Remember we have to buy the stuff for them today,"  Gus said, reminding Brian of their discussion last weekend.

"Yes, he is staying over again and I have the list of ingredients that we made last weekend." 

"Awesome.  I'm so excited about tonight.  I can't wait to meet Molly,"  Gus said, almost bouncing in his seat."

"All right, Sonny Boy.  Let's make this quick.  You have a dinner to cook and I know you want everything to be great,"  Brian said as he undid his seatbelt and opened the door.  

Gus did the same and they walked into the grocery. They quickly gathered their purchases and were back in the car in 20 minutes.  Brian drove home and they took the bags of food up to the Loft.  As they were unloading them, the buzzer rang.

Gus went to the door, hoping it was Emmett, and asked, "Who is it?" into the call button.

Emmett said, "It's me, Gus.  Buzz me up."

Emmett heard the buzz allowing him to go up and he rode the elevator to the loft.  Gus greeted him at the door as the elevator reached the floor.  

"Emmett, you're here.  Dad and I bought all the stuff for tonight and Justin's sister is coming to dinner too.  So, do you think we have enough food for her?"

Emmett raised his eyebrows at this news but didn't comment on the new guest.  Instead, he just said, "Absolutely.  A good cook always plans for hungrier guests and a little extra for leftovers.  But we don't have time to dilly dally, we need to get cookin'."  Emmett went into the kitchen and was pleased to see that Gus had all the ingredients out on the counter and was ready to start immediately.  

"I'll leave you two cooks to your haute cuisine and I'm going to grab a quick shower,"  Brian said as he walked out of the kitchen.

"What's haute cuisine?"  Gus asked.

"It's a fancy word for cooking.  Your father is just being silly."  Emmett explained.

"Oh. Sometimes Dad is a real showoff. Whatever.  Dad, go shower and we're going to cook a fabulous meal,"  Gus said waving his hand in a shooing motion toward his father's bedroom.  Turning to Emmett, he said, "Okay, let's get started."

Gus and Emmett had become friends and Gus had shared a lot of information with Emmett through the months that they had been cooking.  While he talked to his moms and his dad about a lot of things, Emmett wasn't his parent and he'd become a trusted adult, one he could share things with without worrying it would get back to his parents.

As Gus took the chicken out of the tray, he washed each piece before laying it in the glass baking dish.  "Emmett, did you know that Justin is spending the night again and he said we'd make pancakes in the morning?  I like Justin and Dad does too.  Dad said they are dating.  Do you like Justin?"

Emmett was not surprised by Gus' statement about Justin spending the night but he was a little taken aback about Gus asking his opinion of Justin. "I like Justin, but it's not up to me or you to decide.  Brian is the one who is important in that decision."

"But he asked me if it was alright if Justin spent the night last weekend.  He said that if I was uncomfortable with it or didn't want him to spend the night then he would tell Justin he couldn't do it," Gus said, sharing a little of the conversation with Emmett.

"And you said yes, otherwise he would not be repeating the overnight stay,"  Emmett said, silently giving kudos to Brian for asking Gus but even more for moving forward with a relationship.

"Yeah, I said yes.  I like Justin.  He's teaching me all about photography and he had me and Dad make a list of all the things to do in Pittsburgh and we've been going through the list.  It's given us lots of things to do together and I think Dad is really enjoying exploring the city too.  We went to see his art last weekend.  Mom was always trying to get me to go to the art gallery but she never made it interesting.  Justin has shown me how to look at stuff and see it.  Did you know that photography is all about where you take the picture?  If you take the picture from the side or the ground or on top of the thing, it takes on a whole different look.  Dad bought me a phone so I could have a camera and Justin has shown me how to use it."  After washing each chicken piece he carefully dipped each one into an egg wash and then carefully placed them into the baking dish being careful not to drip egg on the counter.

"He's been teaching Dad how to cook too.  After their meetings, they have been cooking dinner together.  While Dad isn't nearly the good cook that you are, he can now do more than make me some toast."  Gus finished dipping all the chicken and then searched the spices for the panko crumbs so he could sprinkle them on top of the chicken.  "We sometimes cook together on Friday night when he picks me up from school.  I like going to the diner and getting big juicy hamburgers and milkshakes, but Dad says that food is really bad for you.  So now, we sometimes pick up a few things and cook at home. I never cook with my moms.  It's something I do just with Dad."  Gus reviewed the recipe and carefully measured out the spices like Emmett had shown him, and then sprinkled them on top of the chicken.

"Brian is learning to cook and Justin is teaching him.  Interesting.  And Justin was the one who had you guys make the list of all the things to do in the Pitts.  He seems to have helped your Dad make a lot of changes in his life,"  Emmett commented, seeing how enmeshed Brian and Justin truly were.  He wondered if Justin knew about the aborted Woody's visit, but since Brian had told him that it was a result of missing Justin, he thought Justin knew.  This was all very interesting and he was happy to see that his friend was really moving forward with his relationship.  

"Yeah.  He has.  I love Dad and while I never really knew that he drank, I really like all the changes.  I love spending time with him on the weekends and Justin is so cool.  I even invited his sister tonight.  Her name is Molly.  Remember, she is the one Dad takes on the fake dates when he goes to see Justin's stuff.  I thought it would be cool to meet his fake date.  I like Justin and I bet his sister is cool too.  Have you ever met Molly? What a funny name.  I've never met a Molly before,'  Gus commented as he finished coating the chicken with spices and reviewed their recipe.   "I think we're ready to put it in the oven.  How'd I do?"  Gus asked, hoping for approval from Emmett.

"Perfect.  The chicken is going to be delicious.  While it's cooking we can make the vegetables and rice,"  Emmett said as he picked up the pan of chicken and placed it in the oven.  A wave of heat hit him as he opened the oven door.  After closing the door, he said, "Woosh.  That was hot.  I never cease to be amazed at how much heat hits my face when I open an oven door."  He fanned himself with his hand a few times and then said, "Okay, now for the sides."

Gus got out the cutting board and the sharp knife, making cuts on the broccoli stalks to cut them down into small pieces. "Is this the right size?"  Gus asked, picking up one of the pieces.

"Perfect,"  Emmett said, nodding his head.  "Just curious, Gus.  Why did you want to invite Molly to the dinner?"

Gus shrugged as he continued cutting the broccoli and putting it in the bowl.  "I don't know but I guess I wanted to meet her.  I mean, she's kind of like family and I know all the family."  

"I see.  I bet she'll be great.  If your Dad takes her on fake dates, she must be okay.  He doesn't do things he doesn't want to do.  I like that about your Dad."

"Yeah, he tells me that all the time when I ask him if something is okay to do.  I wish I could only do the things that I want to do. I don't like cleaning my room and chores are a pain.  But Emmett, I'll tell you a secret.  That's only at my moms.  I clean my room here and Dad has certain chores for me too.  I don't mind when I'm here.  He makes it fun.  I guess when I'm at my moms it feels different."  Gus smiles as he finishes cutting up the broccoli stalks.  "Now, let me see if I remember.  We cook the broccoli first and then we put it in a bag with all the ingredients and then toss them together?"

Emmett nodded and said, "Perfect.  You're going to be an excellent chef. But we won't put the broccoli up until the guests start arriving.  It should be really fresh.  Let's start the rice on the stove and then make the butter sauce."  Emmett got out the saucepan and measured out the water and rice, placing them on the burner.  

Gus got out the spices and the frying pan to cook the spices and butter.  He carefully measured out the butter, placed it in the pan,  and turned the burner on to melt the butter.  Then he measured the spices of garlic, basil, parsley, oregano, red chili flake, salt, and pepper.  When the butter was melted he placed the spices in the pan and tossed them for a minute.  He turned the burner off while he waited for the rice to cook.

While they were waiting for the rice and chicken to cook, they made dessert.  Gus had decided on a lemon trifle which was made from angel food cake and crushed Oreos.  Emmett had assured him that the chocolate and lemon flavors would be good together and it was easy to make but looked really pretty.  Since Gus loved Oreos, he thought that was a good choice.

"Emmett, do you think that Dad and Justin will continue going to a meeting every Saturday?"  Gus asked.  "I want to continue learning to cook with you and if they stop going to meetings..."

"I don't know, but I bet your Dad would still let us cook together.  I think if they stopped attending meetings, they could use that time to just hang out while we cooked dinner," Emmett said, suggesting a solution.  He loved that Gus wanted to continue cooking with him, regardless of Brian's attendance at meetings.  "But for now, we'll just continue cooking until it changes.  Best not to worry about it unless there is something to change."

"Do you think they will get married someday?  I mean Ted and Blake are married and Momma and Mom are married.  Debbie is married too.  That would be cool for me to have two moms and two Dads.  My friend Tommy has two moms and two dads, but his moms are married to guys," Gus asked, thinking that this arrangement would be advantageous.

"Umm, I don't know Gus.  Marriage is a big step. Your Dad and Justin have only been dating for a little bit,"  Emmett tried to answer the question without providing any definitive answer.  "Why do you ask?"

"Dad seems really happy when he's with Justin.  He was really sad when Justin was busy with his show and couldn't hang out with us.  If they were married, he'd be able to hang out with him more," Gus explained.  

"Gus, there is a lot more to marriage than hanging out with another person.  When you're married....  Well there is just a lot more than that,"  Emmett said, wanting to respond to his inquiry but also wanting to temper his response.  He did not feel comfortable judging Brian and Justin's relationship in terms of a long-term commitment.  "I think the rice is ready to be added to the herbs.  Why don't you turn the burner on and heat the herbs for about 30 seconds and then I'll dump the rice in while you stir?" Emmett said as he was thankful that prepping for dinner could be the topic of conversation.

Gus turned on the burner and heated up the butter mixture. "Emmett, tell me more about marriage.  I mean, Mom and Momma just hang out together, and then they had me.  Do people get married to have kids?  I wonder if my Dad would want a kid with Justin?  I know they couldn't actually have kids as guys can't have kids.  I know the story of how Dad helped Mom and Momma make me.  But that would be cool, you know.  Having a brother or sister."

Brian finished his shower and walked toward the kitchen as Gus finished his statement about having a sibling and Brian stopped just outside the door to listen to the conversation.

"Gus, I'm not married so I can't really answer that question. I'd first have to find someone who I'd want to be with for the long haul.  As for your Dad and Justin, well.... I think you should just wait and see what happens.  If you're really curious about marriage, maybe talk to your moms or Ted and Blake,"  Emmett said, hoping that Gus would not ask him any more questions.  He loved hanging out with Gus and sharing life stuff, but up till now it was mostly frivolous stuff like who he played with on the playground and what he and Brian did over the weekend.  Sometimes he talked about stuff that he learned from Justin or Brian, but usually, it was nothing intense like today's discussion.  He heard Brian open his bedroom door, signaling he was done with his shower, and he hoped Brian would return quickly.

Brian was thankful for Emmett's responses and made his way into the kitchen.  "What is this about a brother or sister?  Since when did you want a sibling?"  Brian asked, joking about the statement.  

Gus was a little startled that his father heard his last comment, but he never kept his thoughts to himself, especially when it came to his interactions with his Dad.  "I was asking Emmett if you and Justin would get married and maybe want a kid.  I think I'd like a little brother or sister,"  Gus said as he stirred the rice into the herb mixture.  

"Gus we just talked about this. Remember, I said that Justin and I were dating and at this point, anything more was not on the table.  As for a brother or sister, I don't think so.  One of you is enough,"  Brian said, quickly silencing Gus' request.  "The food smells great.  I don't want to know what's in it.  I can just feel the fat cells attaching themselves to my body."  Brian looked at the clock above the stove.  I'll leave you two cooks to finish cooking.  Gus, I'm sure your debut will be fabulous," Brian said, using Emmett's words.  He walked out of the kitchen and went to the computer to finish responding to some emails that he hadn't gotten to this afternoon.

TBC