CHAPTER 46: EVERYBODY WANTS TO RULE THE WORLD
Welcome to your life/ There's no turning back/ Even while we sleep/ We will find You acting on your best behavior/ Turn your back on mother nature/ Everybody wants to rule the world
It's my own desire/ It's my own remorse/ Help me to decide/ Help me make the most Of freedom and of pleasure/ Nothing ever lasts forever/ Everybody wants to rule the world
There's a room where the light won't find you/ Holding hands while the walls come tumbling down/ When they do, I'll be right behind you/ So glad we've almost made it/ So sad they had to fade it/ Everybody wants to rule the world
I can't stand this indecision
DEB
I can’t believe it. Michael paid for children that aren’t ultimately HIS? It makes this whole situation even more fucked up! He used JUSTIN’S MONEY in a ploy to entrap Brian with children that are NOT his! I just… I just… WHO THE FUCK IS THAT IMPOSTER POSING AS MY FUCKING SON??!!
I’m so mad I could chew bullets and spit every fucking one of them into the crack of his ass! And then to have to be present to see Brian and Justin naming THEIR children and talking about grandparents and aunts and… It was all too much! It was a true testament to everything that I’ve lost for standing by Michael. But what else was I supposed to fucking do? He’s my flesh and blood for Christ’s sake; he’s my son! Yes, it’s very evident to me now just how wrong he was to do those things: to steal from Justin; to side with Lindsay in her quest to split him and Brian up permanently; to pay for Lindsay’s children… Well that’s who’s fucking responsible! I mean, as much as I hate to admit it, Michael is weak-willed and so easily influenced. I mean, look at what happened when he moved to Portland for that short time. He only did so because Brian told him he should!
So it would stand to reason that once Lindsay sunk her hooks into that mulch he calls a brain, Michael couldn’t help himself. He wanted Brian so fucking much that he just couldn’t see that what Lindsay was suggesting wasn’t for his benefit at all, but for hers. But now I’ve got to be the one to tell him the babies are indeed born, but they aren’t his. That they are Justin’s son and Brian’s daughter! Oh God, it’s me that’s going to have to break his heart.
Arriving at the prison where Michael is being held a short time later, for the hundredth time since I decided to come here I wonder if this is truly the right thing to do. Is it right for me to be the one to take away his hope right now? Granted, he’s still imprisoned because Brian refused to tell Sunshine to drop the charges against him- I still can’t believe they are openly defying me about this- but Lindsay is responsible for all of this. Not Michael. NEVER my Michael!
Finally making the case for and against this decision, I go in to see him. The bottom line is that he has a right to know what Lindsay has done. And then I need to speak with his attorney to see if anything can be done about it. Can Michael sue Lindsay to get back the money he spent? Can he get any of Justin’s money back from her so that he can finally be released?
I have a few minutes before visiting hours begin, so I call Mr. Edwards’ office in the hopes that I’ll be able to reach him. Unfortunately, the call is forwarded to either his secretary or the answering service. “Hello, this is Debbie Novotny. Is Mr. Edwards available? It’s regarding my son, and I need to speak with him immediately. ”
“I’m sorry Ms. Novotny, but Mr. Edwards is in a meeting and cannot be disturbed. If you’d like to leave a message, I can request that he calls you back after he’s done,” comes the bored, and as far as I’m concerned, borderline rude tone over the phone.
Well I’m NOT having that shit today! Too much is happening and he needs to be brought up to speed at once so he can get working on Michael’s case. “Isn’t there some way you can get a message to him NOW and tell him that I’m on the phone?”
“As I’ve stated Ma’am, he’s in an important meeting and unable to be disturbed. I’d be happy to take a message.”
“And I WANT TO SPEAK TO HIM NOW! I’m paying him to be available whenever I call!”
The clearly young man over the phone has the audacity to huff at me before answering. “Ms. Novotny, let’s be real and clear here. Mr. Edwards is working the case for your son pro bono…”
“What do you mean pro boner?! He better not be trying to fuck my son in exchange for actual payment!”
“UGH! As if! I would hope he has better taste when it comes to men!” comes the immediate reply, and I can’t help but get just a little more pissed off.
“What the hell do you mean by that? I’ll have you know that my son is loving and generous…
“With other people’s money…”
“And would make a great partner for ANYONE!”
“I doubt it. But for the record, Ms. Novotny, PRO BONO means FOR FREE. Since your son is clearly unable to pay, Mr. Edwards received this case from the Legal Aid Society as they are backed up with cases. So right now, Mr. Edwards is in a meeting with a PAYING client, and therefore unavailable to speak with you. Would you like to leave a message?”
“Have him call me back! And what is your name?”
“Todd,” he answers, suddenly sounding very professional.
“Todd? As in Backroom Todd? As in the official Bottom Boy of Babylon, Todd?! As in Had so many Dicks that he BECAME A DICK Todd?”
“One in the same, as in Hasn’t Gotten Laid By Anything That Doesn’t Require C Batteries Since the Seventies Debbie, or Cobweb Coochie Ain’t Seen Nothing But A Washrag Ms Novotny, or The Personal Batcave of Dracula Since He Left Transylvania Debbie! If you want, I can certainly come up with more names to describe your empty behind… and I’m not just talking about your personality either.”
“You know what! Talking to you is pointless!”
“No, I believe I made my point.”
“And I WILL be making mine while filing a complaint with Mr. Edwards about your lack of manners!”
“I’m sure he’ll look forward to hearing your opinion on the matter. I mean, since it’s so obvious where your demanding, overbearing son received his lessons in the lack of said manners.”
“How dare you?!”
“Very much, please, and thank you. In the meantime, is there anything else I can do for you besides delivering your message and holding up the metaphorical mirror?”
I hang up, angrier than ten rattlesnakes whose nests have been disturbed. The nerve of that punk talking about my son like that! Michael is Lindsay’s victim, just as much as Brian and Justin’s, but does anyone else see that? NO! They have their heads so far up Brian and Sunshine’s asses that they wouldn’t know the truth of things if it bit them!
I take a few moments to calm down before going inside the building again. The last thing Michael needs to see is how upset I am. But rest assured, Mr. Edwards and I WILL be having words about that little asshole who answered his phone… LOTS of them! After giving my name and entering the common room, I sit and wait for Michael to appear.
I’m so lost in thought that I don’t see him until he’s sitting in front of me. “What are you doing here, Ma?”
“What happened to your face?”
“Some asshole took exception to what I said when he was talking to a friend of his about Justin, and what he’s done to my best friend.” He shrugs.
“Michael,” I sighed. “How many times do I have to tell you to watch what you say about Sunshine?”
“Fuck him, Ma! FUCK HIM! It’s ALL his fault that I’m sitting in here in this fucking jail, while he’s out and about to cause more bullshit for me! And if you’re here to list his many great att… att… asstributes, then you can just turn around and go home.”
“The word is attributes, Michael. And no, I’m not here to talk about Justin, except to tell you that his and Brian’s children have been born,” I say, already gearing myself up for the temper tantrum he’s likely to have. If I could change anything about him, it would be those.
“What do you mean, Brian and Justin’s children? They don’t have any!”
“And that’s where you’re wrong. It seems that Lindsay’s eggs were used to inseminate Taryn Charles…”
“Taryn?! Well then that’s even more impossible, since she was pregnant with my children… Mine with Brian.” He says, all fucking starry-eyed. “Justin’s got nothing to do with it.”
“And that’s where you’re wrong, Michael. Apparently, when Lindsay took the condoms from Brian’s loft, she also took one from Justin.”
“But that’s impossible! There were only two filled condoms in the bin! I’m telling you, Ma, Brian is the father of one child, and I’m the father of the other! It was the only way I could be sure that Brian would drop Justin for good, and finally be ready for the family I’ve always wanted him to have with me!”
“Well, the DNA tests say otherwise. And what the fuck do you mean there were only two filled condoms in the trash bin? How would you know that?”
“I… well she…”
“Spit it the fuck out, Michael, NOW!”
“She told me when she called right after it was done, and before she went to get her eggs fertilized. She already had my sample; all she needed was his.”
“Fucking hell, Michael,” I say before lowering my voice. “You do realize that if she’s charged with breaking and entering, she’ll name you the accessory. She could tell them that you planned this with her, and that you knew what she was going to do. You do know that, don’t you?”
“She wouldn’t do that.”
“And what makes you so sure?”
“Because she has just as much to lose as I do.”
“Well do you know where is she now?” I ask him sarcastically. Since he seems to have all the fucking answers, he should already know this, too.
“She was here a few days ago, but… well, I haven’t been able to contact her. She was staying with her parents last I heard.”
“Well, Michael. I can tell you exactly where she is.” At his puzzled look, because of my falsely-cheerful tone, I continue. “You good ol’ partner-in-stupidity is currently occupying a cell of her own. You know what that means, don’t you?”
“Ma, I’m sure you’re wrong. She was supposed to talk to Mel about getting me out of here. But she didn’t and… and… Ma, I need you to talk to Brian for me.”
“Michael…”
“MA! Come on! I’m in here; you’re out there. Surely it’s not too fucking much to ask for you to talk to Brian for me. YOU OWE ME!”
At first, I’m startled by his outburst. But then as I sit there thinking about all that has happened within the last two days, all I can hear is that fucking Todd’s voice laughing at me. “Now you listen to me, you little shit. I don’t owe you a FUCKING thing! In fact, you owe me just for the fact that I gave birth to you. Now, I will do what I have to do to get you out of here, but I will NOT go to Brian fucking Kinney to ask him for a goddamn thing! Besides, I can’t…”
“Can’t or won’t?!” He stares at me hard for a few moments, and I feel a guilty flush burn my cheeks as he continues. “Ma, what the hell have you done?”
“Michael…” I try again.
“NO! Ma! Tell me the truth! What. Have. YOU. Done?” He punctuates each word, the look in his eyes growing wider and wilder. Suddenly, I’m glad he’s handcuffed to the table, as this is a side of my sweet, innocent son I’ve never seen. He’s practically glowing with… rage?
“It’s not so much what I’ve done, Michael. But what he and Justin have decided to do, which is to cut me out of their lives, because of you.” I decided to place the blame for Brian’s defection back where it truly belongs… on him! He doesn’t need to know of my tirade to Brian, Justin, and all the rest of them that resulted in no one speaking to me anymore. “I was only allowed to be near them long enough to hear the DNA results firsthand. Oh, Michael, how could you put me in this position? I’ve lost everything that ever mattered, including my chance to be a grandma, because of YOU!”
“Me? But that’s ridiculous! You were just doing what you should have been doing for me in the first place instead of fucking Carl. I was always supposed to come first, NOT you, and not any of them! You are supposed to be on my side. You’re supposed to stand by me! How could they not have expected that you would?”
I’m a little confused at first. On one hand, it seems that he agrees that I’m being treated badly by everyone. Yet, on the other hand, it seems that he was always expecting that I would always put him ahead of my own happiness. The sad thing is, I did. Against all the warnings and dire predictions- first from Vic, and then from Carl himself, before he told me to go home- I did.
And what has it gotten me? Nothing but being alone!
He’s speaking again, and I’m surprised at what comes out of his mouth. Although, I probably shouldn’t have been. “Ma, I need you to go see Lindsay. She should have been released by now, even if she was arrested. I need you to go tell her to talk to Craig Taylor.”
I’m inclined to argue with him about giving me orders, but something makes me hesitate to do that just now. What the fuck has Craig Taylor got to do with anything? “Why?”
“Because, although I paid him using the Rage money on Lindsay’s behalf to get back some videos and records he had on her, he still owes me for our original deal regarding Justin.”
This shit is even more tangled than I thought! “Original deal? Michael, what are you talking about?”
“Ma, Justin had money that Craig was withholding from him. In fact, he only began really dipping into it, and Justin’s inheritance, once the little jackass had officially decided not to go to Dartmouth. When he kicked Justin out of the house, he didn’t let him take anything with him, which included an ATM card in Justin’s name.”
“And how do you know all of this?”
“Craig told me when I called him to help me make a plan on getting his son out of my best friend’s life. Anyway, apparently, that fucking little bastard’s grandparents had opened up an account in his name sometime before they died. Craig had only just found out the reason why it was there in the first place, beyond what was in his inheritance. It turns out that Justin was doing artistic favors for some of his grandfather Taylor’s big name clients all throughout school, but he was too young at the time to have a business in his name. Once Justin’s grandfather died, which was only a couple of months before he came out, the business was in the process of being transferred over to Craig’s name, since Justin was still technically a minor. So once Craig and I agreed on a plan of action to force Justin to return to his father’s house, and ultimately get the fuck out of Brian’s life, Craig began giving me money from Justin’s account to make sure it happened…”
“Wait a minute… wait just a fucking minute, Michael! You mean to tell me that the embezzlement charge isn’t only going to be about the Rage profits, but also another business Justin had while he was still in high school?”
“From junior high school, actually. It’s just that he couldn’t sign any contracts, or even withdraw the money without an adult’s signature.”
Michael…”
“Look, Ma. I only found out about it after Lindsay convinced me to give Chris Hobbs some money for… a few things.”
I have the most amazing feeling of dread sitting in the pit of my stomach right now. I sigh. “A few things like what, Michael? Chris Hobbs is from the same social class as Justin so what could he possibly have needed money for?”
“What else, Ma? It was to make sure that Justin came to his senses and followed Craig’s orders!” he says, and I can tell that he’s hedging the truth a bit, just before he explodes again. “He shouldn’t have kept fucking Brian! And he shouldn’t have kept coming back to Liberty Avenue after Brian had him! He had no right to be there…”
“He had every fucking right to be there, Michael! Liberty Avenue was always meant to be a safe-haven for the queer population. What gave you, or even fucking Lindsay, any right to decide who should or should NOT visit there?” I almost can’t fucking believe what I’m hearing from this… this, POD PERSON who is sitting here. He looks like my son, sounds like my son, but he most certainly NOT acting like my son should!
“Oh please, Ma. You know as well as I do that Justin fucking Taylor should have stayed in his own well-ordered existence. He should have just done what he was fucking told and his life would have been fine.”
“According to who? You? Lindsay, or Craig?”
“Well obviously we were all right, since his stupid ass got knocked upside the fucking head!”
“And yet, you are sitting in here; in jail, Michael. So tell me, is your life fine? Is Lindsay’s? I mean, you both didn’t do what you were told either, now did you?”
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
“Visiting hours are now over!” The guard calls out, and I’ve never been more glad. I need to get away from him. The more he talks, the more I can see just how much I played a part in all his shitty actions. But I just can’t resist leaving Michael with one last parting shot.
“It’s supposed to mean exactly what I’ve said, Michael. I just hope you figure it out.”
And yeah… as much as I don’t want to hear the lies, I DO agree that it’s time Lady Lindsay and I have a talk. Shamefully, as much as I know she’ll try to put this all on Michael, I know I’ll get the real truth of HIS part in all this from her. After all, she’ll say just about anything to make herself look like a victim; sadly, just like Michael.