Jennifer walked into the Liberty Avenue diner on Monday morning. Her eyes roamed around the room, taking in the people enjoying their greasy breakfasts before going to work that day. She was surprised to see that although this diner was in the middle of the city's gay neighborhood, most of the patrons looked... normal.

She jumped when a red-headed woman in a rainbow vest covered in buttons spoke to her from behind the long counter. "I think you may be lost, Honey. Chico's is on the other side of town."

"Um... I'm Jennifer Taylor, Justin's mom. I came to pick up his paycheck."

Debbie gasped happily. "Oh, you're Sunshine's mom! I see why he's so adorable now. How's he doing?"

"He's recovering nicely," Jennifer answered, trying to sound upbeat.

But Debbie noticed that Jennifer had a sad look on her face. "Are you sure about that?"

Jennifer sighed as she recalled the events of that weekend.

After walking into his aunt's house on Saturday afternoon, Justin tossed Jennifer's keys at her and headed toward the basement door, completely ignoring his mother's questions about where he had gone and why he would take her car like he did. He slammed the door in Jennifer's face before stomping down the basement stairs. She could hear him crying through the door.

Jennifer decided to give her son some space over the next twenty-four hours, but sat down next to Justin on Christine's futon to talk to him the next day. Justin told her about his trip to Brian's loft and his subsequent rejection of him. She held her only child while he sobbed on her shoulder.

"You know, I thought that after I had my transplant, my life would be great," Justin had said to her. "But now... my life fucking sucks!"

"No, it doesn't," Jennifer insisted as she lightly scratched Justin's head, which had always comforted him.

"Yes, it does!" he said as he pulled away from her, his eyes and nose red. "My own father doesn't want me, only because I'm queer. The man I love doesn't want me... why not, I really don't know. I work at a diner making minimum wage, where every guy there thinks it's okay to grope me whenever they want. I'll probably never get to go to art school..."

Jennifer wrapped her arms around Justin again. "Yes, you will, Sweetheart. Even if I have to cash in my retirement to pay for it, you'll go to art school."

"No, Mom. I can't let you do that," Justin said. "You'll need that money."

Jennifer put her hands on Justin's cheeks and looked into his eyes. "Honey, even as bad as your life may seem right now, remember that you can always rely on me."

Justin gave her a small smile. "Thank you, Mom." He then put his head in her lap as a new wave of tears hit him.

Back in the present, Jennifer slowly nodded. "He'll be okay... I hope."

Debbie opened the cash register and handed Jennifer a white envelope with Justin's name on it a moment later.

"Thanks," Jennifer said before putting the envelope in her purse and turning to leave.

"Hey, wait a minute," Debbie said. "Why don't you sit down and have some coffee?"

"I stopped drinking coffee," Jennifer said.

Debbie rolled her eyes. "Of course you did... how about some herbal tea? It's on the house."

Jennifer realized that Debbie wanted to talk, so she decided to humor her. "Sure," she said before taking an empty stool at the counter.

Debbie rooted through a box of tea bags, throwing a condom over her shoulder before pulling out a packet of "Get Happy" tea. She poured Jennifer a mug of hot water and leaned over the counter in front of her. "So, what's going on with Justin?" she asked.

"Well, his father just recently discovered that he's gay," Jennifer began as she put the tea bag in the mug.

Debbie nodded. "I know."

Jennifer wondered how this woman would know that, but decided not to ask. "And now Craig, my husband, won't let Justin come home. He said he's not welcome anymore."

Debbie's face reflected her anger at this news. "What?" she screeched. "But Sunshine just had a kidney transplant, for fuck's sake!"

"Regardless, Craig said he doesn't want a..." Jennifer closed her eyes and whispered "fag" and finished the rest of her sentence in her normal volume, "living under his roof."

Debbie sighed in sadness. "Poor Sunshine..."

"And also," Jennifer continued. "There's this... man that Justin has been seeing-"

"His name wouldn't happen to be Brian Kinney, would it?" Debbie said, although it was more of a statement than a question.

Jennifer nodded. "And I guess you know that this Brian was his kidney donor?"

The cook rang a bell and called Debbie's name, which she ignored. "Oh, yeah, although I didn't know that until I came to visit Sunshine the day after the transplant and found Brian in his room playing cards with him, dressed in hospital jammies. Brian has been best friends with my son Michael since they were fourteen, although they've grown apart since Michael moved to Portland last month. I've been watching over Brian since he's been home from the hospital, and I know every sordid detail of that asshole's shenanigans with Sunshine. Believe me, I told him to leave the kid alone the first day they met, right here in this diner, but once he sets his sights on a guy he wants, he's like a shark smelling blood."

"Well, since the shark told Justin that he couldn't live with him, Justin's been-"

"He told him what?!" Debbie yelled. "Oh, that... that..." She paused to take a deep breath. "I fucking knew this would happen. Where is Sunshine staying now?"

"We're both staying with my sister - him on the basement futon and me on the living room couch - but I know he hates it there. He only comes out of the basement to use the upstairs bathroom. Although I thought that he always liked them, he can't stand my sister's three kids. I guess I don't blame him, because those kids ran around the house like wild animals all weekend. Justin said they sounded like a herd of stampeding buffalo overhead."

The cook rang the bell before yelling Debbie's name again.

"Keep your fucking shirt on!" Debbie yelled back. She then pulled her order pad from her pocket and wrote something down. "This is my address; it's walking distance from here. My brother Vic lives with me, but I have a spare bedroom. Vic is there now, and I'll call to let him know that you and Sunshine are on your way over. We only have one bathroom, but..."

Jennifer looked down at Debbie's hand, which was holding the piece of paper out to her. "Oh... no. I couldn't-"

"Yes, you can, and you will," Debbie replied in a no-nonsense tone. "I'm making tuna noodle casserole tonight, and there will be plenty for all of us."

Jennifer took the paper, knowing that Debbie wasn't going to take no for an answer. "Thank you." She left a moment later.

After Debbie delivered her order, she picked up the phone. She did not, however, dial her house number.

"Hey," she said when it was answered. "Do you feel up to coming over for dinner tonight? I'm making your favorite, tuna noodle casserole... Don't argue with me, asshole, you fucking love it."

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

Brian parked the Jeep behind an unfamiliar white car at six o'clock sharp and cut the engine. Just as he always did, he let himself into Debbie's house and stopped short when he heard a familiar voice.

"I've always I wanted to be an animator, but I really enjoy painting, too," he heard Justin say.

Brian walked closer and saw the back of Justin's blonde head. The owner of the head was sitting at Debbie's kitchen table next to a blonde woman, his mother.

"You should see this painting he made for my birthday last year," Jennifer said to Vic and Debbie. "It's a beautiful abstract that reminds me of a spring day. I have it across from my desk at work, and I always smile when I look at it."

Since he had not yet been noticed, Brian was about to turn around and leave before Debbie called out to him. "Hey, Brian. Come and sit down!"

Justin and Jennifer both turned their heads to look at him, and both of their jaws dropped in surprise.

"Hey, kid. Long time, no see," Vic said from his place at the table.

Brian walked over to Vic and gave him a squeeze on the shoulder in greeting. He then pulled the chair at Vic's right out to sit, but Debbie stopped him.

"No, Honey, you sit over there," she said as she pointed to the seat across from Vic, which was to Justin's left. The sixth chair that was normally at the table was conveniently missing.

Brian sighed in defeat and sat where he was told. He gave Justin a forced smile before looking over at Jennifer. "Mrs. Taylor, it's nice to see you again."

"Please, call me Jennifer," she requested. "My mother-in-law is 'Mrs. Taylor.'"

"Does she make you call her ‘Mrs. Taylor'?" Debbie asked as she began serving everyone.

"Sadly, yes," Jennifer said. "I've been with her son for almost twenty-five years, but she's always been ‘Mrs. Taylor' to me."

"The old, uptight bitch," Justin mumbled, earning him a light swat on the arm by Jennifer.

Brian began stabbing at his food with his fork the second Debbie sat his plate in front of him.

"Christ, this isn't a race," Debbie said.

"I have somewhere I need to be," Brian said with his mouth full of tuna and noodles.

"And where, pray tell, would that be?" Debbie asked. "You're supposed to refrain from strenuous physical activities for at least three more weeks, so it better not be Babylon."

Brian ignored her and continued to wolf down his food.

They all ate in silence for several seconds before Debbie said, "Oh, Brian, did I mention that Justin and Jennifer are going to be staying here?"

Brian choked a bit. "Why, no, Deb, you didn't."

"Well, I'll only be staying until the end of the week, to take care of Justin," Jennifer clarified. "I go back to work next Monday."

"And then what?" Justin asked. "Where will you be going then?"

Brian polished off his plate and pushed his chair back.

"Sit," Debbie barked. "There's still dessert. Vic made a carrot cake."

"I don't eat dessert," Brian said.

"When I invite you over for dinner, you do, but not until everyone else is finished with their dinner."

Brian sighed as he slouched in his chair.

"By next week, you'll be getting around on your own a lot easier," Jennifer said to Justin. "Especially since your staples will be taken out this Wednesday."

Justin looked down at his plate. "So, you'll be going back home to Dad?"

Jennifer bit her bottom lip nervously. "Honey-"

"You know what?" Justin said as he dropped his fork on his plate with a clang and pushed his own chair back. "Why don't you just go home tonight? I'll be fine here without you."

Jennifer watched as Justin stomped through the living room and opened the front door. "Justin!"

"Go after him," Debbie said to Brian after Justin slammed the door behind him.

"Why me?" Brian asked. "I came here to eat, not console an angry teenager in the midst of family drama."

"I think the two of you need to talk, anyway," Jennifer sadly agreed.

Brian held his hands out, palms up. "About what? I have nothing to do with this."

"Bullshit, you have everything to do with this!" Debbie said.

"Since when?" Brian asked.

"Since you took him home and fucked him!" she answered.

Brian sighed dramatically before getting up and going outside.