BRIAN

Justin called to tell me about Michael’s latest stupid pet trick. Justin was going to turn around and get JR, I told him to come home. If Michael is trying to act like a concerned father, he's a little late in the game. I can't even figure out what he thinks this is going to accomplish.

JR and Gus already have attendance issues, because of Linds. Michael taking JR out early isn't going to make it better. Michael wanted Justin for a reason, well he is getting me. If he thinks we are going to play find the kid, he’d better think again. This is his weekend with JR, and he told Mel that he and Ben had a function and couldn’t get JR tonight. We were supposed to arrange for drop off in the morning. Michael doesn’t think before he acts, he just does something then tries to justify it.

Justin pulls in with Gus, I waited with the girls. I took the day off for Justin be able to meet with Peter. Now I have to leave my family because Michael wanted to prove some point. I kiss Justin so I can have a happy moment. Gus says hi and runs to change so he can get in the pool.

“What the hell is Michael doing Brian?” Justin asks me.

“We’ll know as soon as I get there,” I tell him.

“Leave him breathing, that is all I ask. I don’t have time to hide a body today.” Justin tells me.

I took Justin’s car, I want Michael to think he got what he wanted. I get to Michael house, I can hear JR complaining that she was supposed to come to our house. I knock and hope I can keep from making Justin hide a body today.

“Brian, I was waiting for Justin. Why are you here?” Mikey asks me.

I asked JR to go get her things but wait in her room until after I talk to her father. JR told me to hurry up, she wanted to go. I wait till she is in her room.

“Where is Justin?” Mikey wants to know.

“Well Mikey, after Justin had to waste half an hour trying to locate JR, the office told him that you checked her out of school early. We called Mel to see if the PLAN had changed and we weren’t informed. Mel then has to call you to find out what you did without informing her. She calls Justin back when he is halfway home to tell him that we had to come here to pick her up. Can you tell me why we had to do this?” I really hope it’s a better answer than ‘because he wanted to’.

“I wanted to make sure I spent some time with JR. My plans got in the way of JR’s visitation, so it made sense to me to pick her up. I don’t want to be accused of not spending time with her.” He thinks this was the right course of action.

“You know Mikey, the best way to not be accused of ignoring your daughter would have been to skip the fucking plans for going out and spend time with her. Not take her out of school, where her attendance is already an issue. You need to fucking think, not just do what you want.” I tell him.

“I also needed to talk to JUSTIN, not you. My lawyer wants him to testify for me. The lawyer told me that Justin having to assume the responsibility for JR will help my case. I didn’t want Justin to make the situation worse, so I wanted to explain what he is expected to say when he testifies.” Mikey tells me.

“What were you going to do, give him notes to make you look better? If that was your plan you don’t know my husband as well as you think you do. Why are you even trying to gain custody when you don’t bother to spend time with her? In the last three weeks, you only showed up three times and all three times I told you to take JR and do something. Instead of showing an ounce of parenting, you're upset because I won’t let you hang out with me. Today you suddenly decide you want to pretend to care where your daughter is, and it’s Justin and me who have to deal with the stupid things you do. I told you a long time ago, nobody is going to stay clean in this. I hope you aren’t lying to your lawyer because neither Justin or I are going to lie for you. You aren’t going to win any points with this because you took your daughter out of school to visit. Not for a reason that could be excused. Mel has an investigator reporting on everything you aren’t doing concerning your daughter. You don’t pay child support and you barely see her, that is what that report is going to say, Mikey. Instead of doing anything other than whining everyone to death, you should have been making time for JR. Mel could start asking for child support from you because you want to be so involved. Did that occur to you? Does anything about this situation pass through your brain and come out with, let's play games and hope I win?” I ask and can see the hamsters in his brain are working overtime to come up with a response.

“FUCK YOU, BRIAN.” That was all the hamsters came up with?

“No Michael, FUCK YOU. JR isn’t an action figure you can arrange on a table and only pull her out to play. She is your CHILD. Stop trying to one-up Mel and be her father. You got butthurt when Mel wouldn’t agree to let you dump your kid on her and decided to stick it to her. This isn’t even about JR, it’s about Mikey wanting to show he has the bigger dick. Well Mikey, so far you're falling on your face. Do not expect that calling Justin, Emmett, Ted, me, or even your mother, to testify is going to help you. We all have too many stories of you not taking responsibility for your kid. You’re your own worst enemy Michael. I hope some of this is getting through to you because you're making an ass out of yourself, and this time no one is going to rescue you. Now, for the reason I came, is JR ready to go or are we going to play butt hurt Mikey?” I ask him.

“You know, we are best friends, we are supposed to support each other. I would have thought you would have wanted to get your son away from that house. I guess Gus isn’t that important, now that Justin showed up with kids.” Mikey is going to die today.

“You really want to go there Mikey, I mean, I’ve spent every day with Gus in the last two weeks. I have cleared my schedule to spend time with all my children, and JR, who is YOUR child. Justin and I make sure they have emotional support and a parent that they see is going to be there. Mel rearranged her schedule to spend time with Gus and JR through all of this mess. You were called by the school when Linds pulled her shit and didn’t even come to find out what was happening. You only showed up at the house because it was wouldn’t inconvenience you and to get a shot at Mel. You and Linds start arguing about who’s dicks you both want to suck and didn’t even offer a solution to take care of JR. Justin, instead of trying to argue with the principal, offered a simple answer and followed through to make sure the kids are taken care of. Mel should be beating her head against a wall for picking your sperm instead of Justin’s to squirt up her twat. I hope you're prepared to explain to the mediator why going out drinking with Ben’s friends tonight is more important than doing something with JR. You remember, your daughter. I need to go now because I was planning on spending a family day with all the kids, not a play date with baby Novotny.” I see JR waiting with her things.

“I can’t help that plans were made Brian. I’m sure that you have had to skip out on Gus once in a while.” Michael sneers at me.

“No, I haven't. Because when I get Gus, I tell everyone that my child is more important. Something you need to learn.” I walk out of the house.

JR is in the car. I was going to apologize to her for making her listen to us. JR told me I need to stop trying to reason with the child. This is from a five-year-old. Anybody see a problem with this?

MICHAEL

Brian thinks he is a better father than me. Well, he needs to remember when he hardly saw Gus. He could lose his kids if anybody wanted to bring it up. I wanted Justin to come today. My lawyer told me that I had to prove Mel was the one who neglected JR, not Linds. He wants character witnesses on my behalf. I figured by now Justin was tired of having to pick up JR and Gus and would be glad to tell the lawyer Mel wasn’t helping. Then Brian had to go and stick his nose in it.

Ben came home and asked about my day. I tell him, work and home. I don’t want him to know that Brian showed up here, and showed his ass. Ben tells me the other teachers had to cancel tonight. I tell him I need a night out. We decided to go to Woody's, I was in the mood to drink tonight. Brian needs to remember that I stuck by him. We stayed at Woody’s for an hour and I drank four shots of Beam and beer chasers. Ben told me to slow down. I told him I wanted to have fun tonight. We got to Babylon and I was feeling good. I found Anita and asked for a couple tabs of E. I drowned it with some shots of Tequila. I put another tab on my tongue and kissed it into Ben’s mouth and made him do a shot.  All the crap from today is just gone.

JUSTIN

Brian returned with JR and he told me we could talk later. I told him that Emmett and Calvin wanted to come over with Mark. Brian said that would give Gus someone to play with. Beth and Victoria were in the pool with me. I had them sit with me on the stairs, they are still unsure of the pool. Brian comes out and sits back on the steps with me. The girls are in our arms splashing the water around.

“Mikey thinks you can make him look good to his lawyer,” Brian tells me.

“He does remember it was me he was talking about, right?” I ask Brian.

“I think he thought you could be a puppet and he could pull the strings and make you say what he wanted,” Brian tells me.

“I should talk to his lawyer, I mean, I can tell him all about how Michael hasn’t shown up to see his daughter except three times and for only ten to fifteen minutes. I could also tell him, when he did show up he didn’t even talk to JR. How about the fact that we have had JR at least one night during each of his last two scheduled visitations. Or that the police had to remove Michael from the front of the loft at midnight because he can’t understand…” Brian kissed me to silence my tirade.

Emmett and Calvin came into the backyard and asked if Michael wanted us to testify for him too. Brian groaned.

The next morning I got the kids ready to go to the diner. Michael is supposed to meet us there. Brian told me we aren’t going to get in a conversation with Michael. He can pick up JR and leave. I don’t really care, we were going to my mom’s house for brunch so we aren’t going to be there long anyway.

We were at the diner about five minutes early and took the kids to see Deb. Brian was on the phone with Gabriel. They haven’t been able to talk to each other. Gabriel is apparently planning on taking over the world with Brian. Brian offered him a partnership in Kinnetik. He is going to have Cynthia fly up and start scouting locations. Brian wants Gabriel to have a full staff. They are constantly trying to outdo each other in winning accounts. All I know is that Brian is at the point where he could stay home and buy Armani till he dies and the kids will still never have to work.

We sat in the diner for over an hour and no Michael. Deb called Michael and Ben and couldn’t get anybody to answer. Brian tells Deb we’re going to my mom’s for brunch and if Mikey shows to tell him we appreciate the fact that he bothered to show up at all. Deb told Brian she would offer to take JR but the breakfast rush is really busy. Brian tells her not to worry about it, we’ll just keep JR.

Wonder what happened to father of the universe.

MICHAEL

I feel like someone put a bell over my head and is hitting it with a sledgehammer. I roll over and fall off the bed. That hurt. I pulled myself up and Ben is still sleeping. I need to get us up and going. We have to get JR, so Brian doesn’t make an issue of it. We should have come home earlier but we were both kinda high and didn’t watch the time. I start the coffee and start drinking what seems like a gallon of water. I shook Ben awake and told him we need to shower so we can get JR. He asks what time it is. I look over at the clock, 3 pm, it has to be wrong. I grab my phone and look, it’s still at 3 pm. I call the diner to see if Ma is still there. She left an hour ago. I call Brian’s phone and get sent to voicemail. I call Justin’s phone and get sent to voicemail but apparently, Justin had a message recorded for me.

“Hi, you’ve reached Justin Taylor. I am unable to answer but leave a message and I’ll return your call as soon as possible. If this is the Novotny-Bruckners, please see the principal about showing up on time to get your daughter. All calls will be forwarded to Melanie Marcus, who is acting principal during the weekends and has asked that you call her to inform her of how you are going to improve your performance. Thank you for calling.” I hang up without leaving a message.