DEB 

I came home to Michael laying on the couch, looking at his computer. 

“What are you looking at?” I ask him. 

“I'm bidding on some action figures. I got my bonus today.” He tells me. 

“Honey, we need to use the money to fight Brian for Jewel.” I tell him.

“I don’t want that brat around me, if she had been Brian’s that would be different.” He tells me.

“Michael you need to start acting like you want her. You're never going to get Brian if you treat that kid like shit.” I tell him. 

“Why can't the Taylor woman deal with her? I don't want Brian to have to pay attention to anyone but me. Lindsay better come get her kid too. I just don’t understand why he acts like he doesn’t love me.” He tells me. 

“He loves you, it's just that Jen stays over there and confuses him. She makes him think he has to keep pretending he loved her son, when you know he loves you.” I tell him. 

Michael smiles at me and goes back to looking at his computer. My son is going to get what he wants, and then we’ll be set. I headed up to bed, because unfortunately the rent has to be paid. 

I can’t believe Brian is threatening to tell Michael about his real father. That’s the last thing I need to deal with, I thought about stopping by the hustlers hangout and having them call in on Brian again, but I didn’t want to do it too often. The last guy told me he would call Brian and see if he would pay more for the information on who was paying them to call. I called the police and had him picked up. 

I wish I didn’t have the breakfast shift in the morning. I was going to get Michael to talk to the lawyer from the diner, but we both have to work in the morning. If only he had kept the kid, then he would have had Brian. We deserve to have Brian help us, after all we did for him when he was younger.

I remember when Michael first introduced me to Brian. I saw that my son wanted him and I was determined to make sure Michael got what he wanted. It helped that Brian was looking for a safe haven. It just seemed no matter how many ways Michael showed Brian he was interested, nothing came of it. At first I was relieved, because I wanted Michael to find someone who would take care of us and Brian wasn’t rolling in dough. He was as poor as us. When he got into college, I tried to get Michael to go too, but there was no way to afford that. That’s when I discovered that if I mentioned us being short on a bill or needing something, Brian would find a way to help us out. 

Michael started bringing new friends to my house and I treated each one as if they were special and was able to get them to help out when Michael wanted something. Everything was going great until Justin showed up. Brian stopped giving all his attention to Michael and started spending money on Justin and paying a lot of attention to him. I told Michael to make Brian jealous and he would come back to him. I even took Justin in to get him away from Brian, the money I got from it was nice too. I just didn’t know what to do when Brian took Justin back and let him move in, no one was going to live there if it wasn’t Michael. I told Michael that if he and Brian were to have kids that Brian would drop Justin for him. Only he and Lindsay had to get the wrong sperm. Well what’s done is done, but Brian has to realize Justin is gone and it’s time he does right by Michael and me.

~~~~~~~

I got to work this morning and pasted on my ‘happy to be here’ smile, instead of my ‘why the fuck can’t I get a break from you queens’ smile. I got behind the counter and tried to say hi to Kiki, but she gave me a look that said she wasn’t having a good day. I walked over to one of my tables and all the guys looked up at me.

“Hey boys, what can I get you?” I ask them.

“Another table.” And they got up and walked to one of Kiki’s booths.

“What’s wrong with them?” I ask one of the guys in the next booth.

“Nothing that fags burning in hell won’t solve.” He tells me. 

“What, did someone come in and try to cause trouble with you guys? I would have taken care of that, you know how much I care about you guys” I tell him.

“Like we would believe a hypocrite.” Kiki tells me.

“Look, whatever is up your ass, don’t take it out on me.” I tell her.

“Don’t stand here and preach your acceptance when we all got to see the truth.” Kiki tells me.

“What are you talking about? You know I love and accept anyone.” I tell her.

“Not according to the video we all received on our phones.” A guy tells me.

“Here Deb, why don’t you tell us why you think gay men shouldn't raise their children. I’m sure the fathers here would love to hear your thoughts, but first watch the video.” Kiki hands me her phone.

I watch the video that must have been recorded last night. That mother fucker, he’d better pray I don’t find him.

JUSTIN 

Max and I came back to my house last night, but Brian convinced us to let Aidan sleep at his house. I agreed because it was late and Aidan is cranky when you wake him up before he's ready.

I got up to make coffee after sleeping a couple hours, because it felt strange not to have Aidan home. I wanted to be there when the kids woke up. It would be my first morning with Jewel. 

“We should have just stayed there Jay. It’s not like you got any sleep.” Max tells me. 

“I've never left Aidan anywhere overnight and I want to get to know Jewel and Gus.” I tell him. 

“It looked like you wanted the whole family, not just the kids.” He tells me. 

“I don’t know, I mean Brian is hard not to want, but that could just be because he’s gorgeous. He wants us to try to see if we could be more. It’s just confusing me, because there is part of me that wants to rip his clothes off, and another part that has to wonder what would cause me to run away from him.” I tell him.

“You were eighteen, a guy kicks you out you react like a teenager would, run away and expect him to chase you. He was a grown man, he probably saw it as a fight and that once things cooled down, you’d be back. I’m pretty sure he didn’t mean for you to run to another state that day.” He tells me.

“That’s the other problem, he blames himself for what I did. I did it Max, not him. Ted told me he thinks that Brian let’s Deb yell at him and blame him because it’s someone agreeing with Brian that he’s at fault.” I tell him.

“That’s kind of fucked up, but you’re home. Maybe seeing that you didn’t have a horrible life will help him let it go.” Max tells me.

“Want to help me get some breakfast for the kids?” I ask him.

“As long as it’s not good for me, I’m in. You really need to learn that grease is not the enemy. I swear if you make me eat anything healthy this morning, I’m going to tell them any embarrassing story I can come up with about you.” Max tells me.

“There is nothing wrong with egg white omelets and wheat toast.” I tell him as we grab our jumbo travel mugs and walk out the door.

“Jay, you were only eighteen when I met you, you do realize that right?” He asks me.

“Yeah, but what does that have to do with eating healthy.” I ask him.

“Your body was still able to process burgers and pizza and not gain weight. Now your butt will just gain the weight and although I love your ass, to much junk in the trunk will ruin the aesthetics.” He tells me. 

I drive past all the fast food places because the first breakfast with my children is not going to be egg mcmuffins. Max moans as we pass the last one.

“I knew you were going to make me eat healthy today.” He pouts.

“How about bagels, that place looks good.” I point to a bakery.

“I’d rather go to the diner across the street.” He tells me.

“No you wouldn’t, that is the place Deb works at.” I tell him. 

“You really want to announce your back?” He ask me.

“No, that’s why I brought my hoodie.” I tell him.

“Dude I just wanted to go check it out, hopefully they’re egging her.” Max looks at the diner.

“I’m sure she’ll be coming over to tell Brian all about it. For now let’s go and get food.” I tell him.

I drag him from the curb, because Max would go over there just to watch the fireworks. When we got in I started thinking we should call and see if Brian has pancake batter, I like junk food, just in small doses. The woman was putting out fresh muffins and donuts, when we walked to the counter. 

“Jay, I love you.” Max tells me. Of course he does, well really the three dozen donuts he tells the woman he wants.

“At least get some muffins, I can pretend they are healthy when the kids eat them.” I tell him.

“You should try the orange cranberry, they are addictive.” A woman behind us tells us.

“Jay thinks if it taste good you don’t eat it.” Max turns to tell her.

“Why eat it if it tastes like sawdust?” She tells him.

“That’s what I was saying, but he’s all ‘it has to be healthy’, and I’m all like ‘why not enjoy what you put in your mouth’. Probably because he hasn’t had anything good in his mouth for years.” He tells her.

“Please ignore him, he’s SPECIAL.” I turn to tell her.

“Are you okay?” Max asks her.

The girl really just stares at me. Then she leaps at me and starts crying on me.

“Where have you been?” She whispers. 

“Um, please don’t take this the wrong way, but like Jay is like gay, I mean gay in the giant G A Y way, and your beautiful, but he likes guys, you know.” Max tells her.

“Justin, please tell me it’s you?” She begs me.

“That’s what I’ve been told, but um, how do you know?” I ask her.

“I would know you anywhere, you jackass. How could you leave me and not let me know you were okay?” She glares at me. Then slaps my arm. 

“You know Jay?” Max asks her.

“I know Justin, he’s my best friend.” She tell him.

“Daphne?” I ask her.

“Justin? Oh God your mom and Brian, we need to call them.” She tells me.

“Jay and I are on our way over there now. They all met yesterday.” He tells her.

“You mean Justin finally showed up after five years, nice work Justin. I hope you groveled for the hell they went through.” She tells me.

“Kind of hard for Jay to grovel, he wouldn’t know what to grovel for.” Max tells her.

“For disappearing and leaving all of us worried.” She tells him.

“What I mean is that Jay doesn’t have any memory of his life here.” He tells her.

“Bullshit, he called me by my name.” She tells him.

“My mom told me last night my best friend's name was Daphne. I was hoping that was who you were.” I tell her.

“I’m following you to Brian’s and this better not be you trying to worm your way out of me being pissed at you.” She tells me.

“Get the good muffins, because I need to go to my happy place before I listen to this. I expect to see you in twenty minutes at Brian’s.” She tells us.

We stand there and wait for her to leave. Max tells the woman to just dump all the orange cranberry muffins into the bag. Then tells her to put anything with Chocolate in the bag, since women like chocolate.

“Rather spirited girl, but dude you better work on groveling because she hits.” Max tells me.