CHAPTER 27: MIAMI HAPPENINGS

After receiving the call from Melanie about the revelations of the day, Justin walked Daphne and the boys back to the hotel and left with the assurance that he would fill her in on everything later. The biggest worry he had at the moment was how Brian was taking everything. According to Melanie, he had left the house and was sitting out back by the river. That was something, he guessed. If it had been the Brian of old, he imagined he would have ended up scouring all of Miami, trying to guess at which establishment Brian was indulging in the usual pain management techniques. Justin shivered in the back of the cab, thinking that if they were in Pittsburgh when Brian had received this particular news, things could have and would have been much worse.

The idea that Mel and Brian were twins, who were separated at birth, was still baffling. But hearing the surrounding events- as told by Melanie- the whole thing actually made sense. Many times since he’d known Brian, Justin often joked that the reason the two of them didn’t get along was that they were too much alike. Well, now there was a reason for that… they WERE! Justin couldn’t imagine what Melanie was feeling, knowing that her longtime enemy was actually her long lost brother. But he still imagined that the news had been much harder for Brian to accept. At least Mel grew up with love, and if not a whole lot, at least a modicum of acceptance. Unfortunately, Brian had none of that… and if Justin was honest, he still didn’t from certain people they considered family.

For as long as Justin had known Brian, he’d reluctantly noticed patterns of abuse that his lover had often endured silently. The fact that Jack Kinney had often abused Brian repeatedly, for whatever reason, both emotionally and physically was well-known within their chosen family. And strangely, it was often alluded to in the way certain members of the gang interacted with Brian. Guilt as powerful as Jack yelling ‘look what you made me do’ when his temper spiraled out of control, or pain as physical as Jack’s fist when accusations about what Brian owed Michael came from Debbie. There was no excuse! None, for the way Lindsay, Michael, and yes, even Debbie and Mel had misused and mistreated Brian over the years, before he and Justin had ever met.

And there certainly isn’t going to be any now, just as there was never going to be a valid reason that Jack Kinney could have given to his maker for his constant ill-treatment of the gift Brian Aiden Kinney truly is. There is no absolution that could ever be given or received by either man… no official apology or any type of closure that could at least ease some of the burden that had befallen Brian at this soul-shaking news. With Jack’s death, that chapter was eternally closed, and Brian would never be able to ask the question that had to be going through his head right now… The question of why? Having that question answered would have made all the difference in how Brian processed his new situation.

Alighting from the cab, he was greeted instantly by Melanie, who had tears in her eyes upon seeing him. “Baby, thank you for coming so quickly. Is everything alright at the hotel?”

“Everything is fine. Daphne has everything well in hand with the boys, and Gus was sleeping when I left. I told her I would be back as soon as I could and would fill her in. How is he?”

“Still sitting silently down by the river. He hasn’t had anything to eat or drink since he found out; refused to even look at me when I sat beside him for a few minutes. I don’t know what to do, Justin. I’ve never seen Brian so… still.”

“I understand.” Justin nodded and sighed. “Well, let me go see if I can get a rise out of him. In the meantime, I think you need to call Pittsburgh CPS and speak with Trevor. A decision has to be made about the boys, especially now that we know Claire and Brian aren’t related.”

“Oh God, I hadn’t even thought of that!” she cried harder, even as he did his best to soothe her.

“That’s to be expected, Mel. You’ve had a lot of other things to process as well. But I’m willing to bet you that Brian has been thinking of it, though. He’s already agreed to keep custody of John and Peter, but this new situation very well may change the way it gets done.”

“You’re talking as if you expected the situation to become permanent?”

“It very well may be. With their father having signed away his parental rights, and the fact that there is no way on all of God’s earth that would ever make Joan Kinney a suitable guardian for them, it’s something that will have to be considered carefully. With Brian not being related by blood, what will happen to them now if we have to give them back into Joan’s care? For all her pious ways, she’s really the devil incarnate as we all saw yesterday. I mean, what’s the likelihood that the boys would be adopted together, especially considering their ages?”

“I have to be honest and say that there is a good possibility they could end up in the system until they age out, if we can’t adopt them. I would hate to see that happen to any child, but especially to John and Peter simply because of who their mother is. We won’t even talk about what I think of their sperm donor, even if I understand the reason he needed to get as far away from Claire and her mother as possible. It still doesn’t mean he should have abandoned his children. I keep thinking there has to be more to the official story that caused the divorce in the first place.”

“What do you mean?”

“Just that I still can’t put my finger on why, every time I think of Claire- or more accurately, Joan- I can’t help comparing to them to Lindsay.”

“I’m noticing certain similarities, too.”

“Like?”

“The way Lindsay manipulates is through her passive-aggressive suggestions. Then, when that doesn’t work, she browbeats until you would do just about anything to shut her up; a trait she shares with both Joan and Michael. But her final act to keep up the reminder of what happens if you step out of her well-ordered lines again is the silent treatment. The only real difference between her and Joan is that Lindsay has yet to get physical with all of you. But I have the feeling if she’s thwarted enough times, that side of her is going to come out swinging quite literally.”

“She’d do well not to ever try that shit!”

“Mel, a word of advice… put nothing past Lindsay. On paper, she has nothing left to lose. And it will make her desperate. Gus isn’t even in her care at the moment, and you and Brian are no longer beholden to her for access to him, which she used against you when you separated the last time. Neither of you are any longer relegated to the phone calls when she couldn’t get him to go to sleep, or any other methods of control she’s had in her arsenal for a long time. Things which neither of you bothered to question when she chose to use them. For any of us to underestimate her now would be to our own detriments.”

“Wasp 101 again?”

Justin shook his head. “In some ways, maybe. But this time, she can’t afford to play by any rule book… and I believe she knows it.”

Justin left Mel to ponder his words as he walked around the side of the house in search of Brian. He’d meant every single word he’d said to her, but realized that it might take a little more time for Melanie to believe any of it. Whereas she had spent ten years with Lindsay, the day she had come to the loft in the company of Michael, Justin felt the malevolence radiating from her, even while she tried to stick to her concerned mother and friend routine. Michael was just her tool so that she could keep up appearances in front of Emmett. But Justin saw the fury and hate in her eyes directed towards him. If Emmett hadn’t been there, there wasn’t a doubt in his mind that Lindsay would have been a lot more hands-on in removing him from the loft. It was something that he would never forget.

Rounding the corner of the house, he saw Brian sitting just as Melanie had described. The word still and the Brian Kinney he’d come to know and love were never synonymous. Some part of him was always active- a blink of his eyes, a soft caressing of his lower lip, or the chewing of his thumbnail. Something! But there he sat… head down, eyes unmoving, and deathly still as he looked out over the burbling water. Justin’s heart broke for the man, who had always seemed so much larger than life, but now seemed to have folded in on himself. He was determined that Brian would be that self-assured creature again. Crossing the vast expanse of grass, Justin sat next to him before speaking.

“Hey, Stud. Whatcha thinking about?” He knew it was a lame opening, but he was just hoping that Brian would snap out of whatever waking nightmare he was reliving at the moment and acknowledge him. Seeing that Brian didn’t respond, Justin tried again. “It’s been a pretty eventful day for you, but Brian, you have to snap out of your memories now. We’ll get through all of this…”

“How?” Brian asked, voice raspy from hours of disuse. “How, Sunshine? I don’t even know what to think anymore. I had this view of Jack in my head, you know. And I was fine with that… more than fine. He’d been the same hateful man for years, so it wasn’t any surprise when he’d spouted bullshit, or made impossible demands that I’d blown off. I mean, sure, there were times when he almost seemed human, but those were few and far between, and I was fine with that. I just kept doing my best to prove any of his insults and dire predictions wrong; to get the hell out of that house and never fucking return. Now to know that it’s all been a very elaborate lie… I don’t even know what to think anymore.”

“But it wasn’t, Brian,” Justin interjected. “Sure, the circumstances surrounding your family history weren’t what you thought, but it doesn’t make what you experienced at the hands of Jack and Joan Kinney any less true. You were abused in all facets, Brian. That’s true, but you weren’t then, and you are most certainly NOT now, a victim. You’re a triumph- a clear picture of what happens when, even faced with the most dire circumstances, you choose to fight back; when you choose to shut people the fuck up, once and for all! If being with you has taught me anything, it’s that lesson. So don’t you dare stop being that man now just because you’re finding out that everything wasn’t the way you were taught to believe. Just as I am being reforged and remade, so are you.”

“You don’t understand, Justin…”

“Funny, but you know whenever Michael and Lindsay fuck up, or feel the need to explain things from their point of view, when it’s really just the desire to excuse their crappy behavior, the first sentence they always utter after being caught up in their idiocy is ‘You don’t understand’.”

“OH FUCK NO! YOU ARE NOT GOING TO SIT HERE AND COMPARE ME TO THEM!” Brian yelled, but Justin wasn’t intimidated in the least.

“Then stop acting like them,” he ordered quietly.

“I’m not!”

“Yes, you are, Brian. I know that you don’t see that right now, but you are. You’re allowed to be angry, hurt, and confused by the actions of Jack Kinney and all that it entails. But you are NOT allowed to wallow in self-pity. Besides, there is a bright side to all of this.”

“Really? Finding out after thirty years that the people I thought were family aren’t, and that the one person I’ve spent years antagonizing is… that spells bright side to you?”

“Yes, in a manner of speaking, it does.” Justin nodded before continuing. “You finally have a reason to be free of Joan and Claire for good.”

“But where does that leave John and Peter? In all of this, strangely, I have thought of the repercussions of what the revelations surrounding my conception and birth means. I can’t let them go back to Joan, Justin; I just can’t. I already know that because they ended up at CPS, through no fault of their own, there will be a severe beating in store for them by Joan’s hand. By now, the neglect of her grandsons has become neighborhood fodder, whether she’s sober enough to know it or not. She’s going to make them pay for that.”

“You’re really afraid for them, aren’t you?”

“More than you know, Sunshine. And more than I can tell you. Jack may have been an abusive drunk, but Joan is not only an abusive drunk, but she gets high on the actual physical pain she causes, too… and all in the name of the Lord. She’ll beat them while quoting Bible verses. She used to do that to me, saying that I’d never forget them or the pain of my suffering. I won’t even mention the other shit she used to say to me while it was happening! Suffice it to say, I know she won’t hesitate to do the same to John and Peter.”

“Did she do the same to Claire?”

Brian laughed bitterly. “To the golden child; the one she actually wanted? To the child that actually got her out of her father’s house and out from under his control? No. Claire could do no wrong in the eyes of either Jack or Joan. She would just start pleading and crying her way out of the crap she’d get herself into… well, that was true until I was old enough to be blamed for the shit she did. If Claire would hit me, and I retaliated, that was a beating for me. If Claire hit me, and I complained about it, it was another beating for not being man enough to take it. No matter what, Claire was perfect and I was the heathen who needed the devil beat out of him.” Brian sighed. “But now with this situation coming to light, that theory has also become questionable now. Perhaps Jack didn’t feel it was his right to discipline that mealy-mouthed replica of Joan Kinney. After all, she isn’t- wasn’t- his child.”

“That is one way to look at it, I suppose,” Justin said, sighing and rolling his eyes. There really was no excuse for all Brian had endured at Joan and Jack’s hands. Just simply none! And then, to have not only the people he thought of as his parents, but that self-centered idiot, Claire, be able to have a go at him or instigate situations that Brian had to physically pay for… If she wasn’t already in jail, Justin would have happily gone hunting for the bitch and killed her. But that was a thought he had to keep to himself. They had so much more to deal with at this juncture, instead of just wishful thinking.

Bringing himself back from his homicidal thoughts, he spoke to Brian again. “Well if it makes you feel any better, Melanie is calling Trevor Brown right now to bring him up to speed on everything. I don’t know how everything is going to work out from here on out, but I do know that for now, we have temporary custody of John and Peter. We have to make the best of the situation, and maybe…”

“Maybe what?”

Justin smiled slightly. “Maybe being with them will help mend you just a little bit, too. I know you, Brian. And I know what this is doing to you, even if you can’t admit it aloud. That’s fine, but I also know that even though the circumstances have changed a bit, you’re still the same man I love. And yes, I do love you, for the friend you are; for the man you are.”

Brian didn’t say anything; couldn’t even if he wanted to, which he didn’t. Instead, he extended his right arm outward, allowing Justin to lean into his side. As Justin settled next to him, he marveled at how right the two of them felt sitting there in the silence. That was what Justin gave him… quiet, in whatever form he needed it, whenever he needed it. Brian had always wondered what it was that led him to keep Justin around. Sure, the young man next to him was intelligent, and a hedonist much like Brian himself. But it was in the moments like this, when Brian needed to work out his issues for himself and by himself, that Justin gave him exactly what he needed, without reservation.

Justin didn’t feel the need to constantly make conversation with Brian, or to get inside his head to find out what he was thinking. He didn’t need feel the need to push Brian, or bully him into revealing his innermost thoughts and feelings the way Michael and Lindsay did constantly. Instead, in his own quiet way, Justin would let Brian know that he was still there whenever Brian needed him. And Brian did indeed need him, even if he would never admit it. He couldn’t even begin to imagine finding out this news in the presence of Lindsay, or having to rehash it all with Michael. That would have driven Brian straight to the nearest bar to get wasted. Hell, he still might even do that once they finished up at Mel’s parent’s house, but it wouldn’t be to drown out the whining or cooing that would accompany his two former best friends.

No, Justin talked with him, said what needed to be said, and was now finished with it until Brian brought it up again. Knowing all of this, Brian did the only thing he could do in this moment. Looking down into the blue eyes he’d come to know so well, he leaned down and placed a kiss of gratitude on the man who was steadily coming to mean so much more to him than he’d ever dared to imagine.

As the kiss ended, Justin smiled at Brian, even as his eyes still remained closed. “What was that for?”

“Just for being you,” Brian murmured, before swooping back in and sipping more from the soft, supple lips he always seemed to crave.

The kiss went on for several minutes, restoring Brian in ways he couldn’t begin to describe. It was one of the things about Justin he’d always marveled at… how a simple kiss from the man in his arms could set almost everything in Brian’s world in order in that moment. One would think that their age difference would cause some trepidation and alarm from the emotional attachment… and it had for Brian in the beginning. But the more he got to know Justin in his many facets, the more he began to feel any reservations he’d had about their disparity in experience melt away. It didn’t matter; nothing did when Justin was with him, kissing him, holding him, and just being a living, breathing rock of fortitude, and a fortress that protected him from everything trying to overtake Brian, mentally and emotionally. Brian may never find the words to voice such sentiments, but he hoped Justin could hear them just the same.

A gentle throat-clearing caused the kiss to end, and Brian smiled at the dazed expression within Justin’s eyes. Looking at the person standing behind Justin, with a small smile on her face, he cleared his own throat. “You timing sucks as usual, Mel.”

She laughed softly. “Yes, well, it wouldn’t have done for Ima to come out here finding Justin half naked, now wouldn’t it? I mean, he hasn’t even met her yet. First impressions and all that.”

“Surely she would understand the… uh, fascination I have at the moment.”

“Oh, I’m certain she would have, but considering that you haven’t moved from this spot for quite some time, I’m pretty sure if you were to start fucking Justin, she would have come out here with the hose.” Mel snickered, before sobering. “She and Tate have been worried about you… and so have I.”

Justin noticed the bewildered look on Brian’s face, so he answered in place of his stunned lover. “Ima and Tate? Who are they?”

“My parents. Or should I say, my aunt and uncle?” Melanie smiled. “I still can’t believe it, but it’s true. Frayda and Mendel Marcus are my aunt and uncle, while Melanie Levine and Jack Kinney were my parents. I still don’t know how to feel about it all.”

“Grateful,” Brian answered her, finally finding his voice. “You should feel grateful for having had them. How is Mendel doing now?”

“Determined.”

“I thought he was deathly ill,” Justin interjected.

“He’s not doing well at all,” Melanie confirmed. “But if I know Tate, he’s going to fight tooth and nail to stay in this world until he can be sure that all will be well when he gives up the ghost. Ima has the doctor looking over him now, and I know he has to keep his agitation to a minimum, which is the real reason I interrupted. He’s requesting to see you now, Brian. Said that you have been allowed your solitude for far too long, and now it’s time to get back to the business of living.”

Surprisingly to both Justin and Mel, Brian rose to his feet without question. After stretching out his legs, he proceeded wordlessly to the house. Mel reached down to pull Justin up, so that he wouldn’t have to use his right hand to support his weight. She regarded him with a look of puzzlement and gratitude. “What?” he asked.

“I have to say that you are a miracle worker, Justin. I thought he might never move from this spot; he’d been sitting so shock-still for so long.”

Justin smiled slightly, looking in the direction that Brian had gone. “He’s got a lot on his mind, mostly concerning John and Peter. Were you able to find out anything?”

“Yeah, but we’d better go in there. I can fill you and Brian in on everything concerning the boys in a bit. The temporary custody is still in place for now, but… well, like I said, I’ll fill you both in. Right now, the important thing is that Mendel has found all of the notebooks that our mother left behind, and that Ima had kept up until Feiga and Jacob’s death. A large amount of it, I suspect, supports what Brian and I were told this afternoon.”

“Jacob and Feiga?”

“Melanie Levine’s parents.”

Justin nodded and followed Mel into the house. When they arrived inside the house, Justin was amazed at all of the memorabilia tastefully displayed. Newspaper clippings from the Holocaust, obvious family heirlooms, and pictures of the people Mel had knew as her family. Seeing the small 5x7 framed picture of a little girl in front of a storefront, Justin smiled, knowing instantly that it was Melanie.

“That was taken in Brooklyn on the day Tate opened up the last of many Jewish delis throughout the borough. My goodness, I can still taste the pastrami sandwiches he used to make with the homemade coleslaw. He and Ima held onto those delis for years, even after they moved here, before they finally sold the franchise. I haven’t been able to find a sandwich that good anywhere since.”

“Maybe he’ll give you the recipe,” Justin suggested.

Mel chuckled. “Maybe you can convince him to. I’ve been asking for it for years, but he won’t budge. Said that I wouldn’t have a reason to visit if he gave up his secret.”

Justin laughed in return. “My mom says the same about some of the things she makes. I was lucky enough to get the Jambalaya recipe from her when I made it for Brian, even though she didn’t know it was for him at the time.”

“You made Brian Jambalaya, and he ate it?”

Justin smiled brightly in remembrance. “The night after I slept on your couch. It’s always better the second day.”

Upon entering Mendel and Frayda’s bedroom, Justin was surprised to find himself embraced in a hug that would rival one he’d get from Debbie. He couldn’t do anything but stand there and take it, even as he fought back the tension coursing through his body at being touched, especially by someone he didn’t know.

“You are the Sunshine, right?” the heavily accented voice asked.

Justin couldn’t do anything but nod slightly. However, Melanie answered. “Yes, Ima, but you have to let him go. Justin still has trouble with strangers touching him.”

Frayda let him go immediately. “Oh, I’m so sorry, Sunshine. I’m just so glad that you are here. You have finally raised Brian from his half-dead state.”

“I wasn’t half-dead…” Brian answered, only to be cut off.

“Well what else would you call your sitting there as if you’re Lot’s wife who’s been turned into a pillar of salt?” Frayda raised her eyebrow at the brunet sitting next to the bed, before turning back to Melanie and Justin. “Anyway, Sunshine, I’m Ima. That is what you shall call me.”

Justin smiled, shaking his head. He knew better than to argue with this woman. “Yes, Ma’am.”  

“Very good, and respectful, too. Brian, you may keep this one!” she declared, before going back over to the bed to resume her seat next to her husband.

“Frayda, that is not our decision to make, but I hope Brian will follow your advice. Rarely in this day and age do you find someone who would drop everything to see to you. Now only if we could get Printsesin settled…” Mendel said, before extending his hand.

“Tate!” Melanie protested, but was ignored in favor of Justin.

“Come over here young one, and sit next to Brian. Melanie, do not argue,” Mendel ordered, and then softened his tone. “The fact that we have never met the chit in all your wasted years together, speaks volumes.”

Melanie reluctantly nodded, acknowledging his point, before opting to change the subject. “Anything interesting in the notebooks so far?”

Brian cleared his throat. “She kept a journal of things to know. Family medical histories and such, but there is one interesting thing here.”

“Oh?”

“Yes, it is regarding my grandmother, Skye Kinney.”

“Skye? What an unusual name,” Justin mused.

“Yes, she's named for the island near where her parents up in Ireland. And if you’d ever met her, you would've seen just why the name fit her so well. I’d only met her once when I was little, but she left quite the unforgettable impression. Jet black, waist-length hair with one thick strand of gray that looked almost white, eyes as blue as the waters in the South Atlantic Ocean, thin of course, but strong… she was magnificent! I must have been six years old when she’d surprised Jack after Kevin Kinney died; said she had some important things to tell him. She couldn’t stand Joan or Claire, and made no secret of it, but she spent time with me and taught me a little bit of Gaelic.”

“I would have liked to have met her.”

“Yes, well… not long after that visit, Jack got word that she had passed. He didn’t have enough money to attend the funeral, or so he said. It was a bad night,” Brian whispered the end, before shaking himself out of the melancholy reverie that fell over him. “Anyway, it turns out that she knew about Melanie Levine, and had arranged some things with an attorney in Pittsburgh. Someone named Seymour Hoffman.”

“I know him!” Melanie exclaimed. “Although, now his son is the one who has taken over the firm. I interviewed there before I went to work for Harry Donaldson.”

“Do you think you will be able to get whatever it is Skye left?” Justin asked.

“I don’t know,” Melanie mused.

“He should be able to, since it was left in her grandson’s name, care of his father,” Mendel said. “As I told you, Brian, we’ve been waiting for you a long time.”

“But why not get word to me?” Brian asked, not sure how he felt about all of this.

“We didn’t know where you were, or what you were doing; who you had become… not until you showed up here. We had no reason to believe that you and Melanie even knew each other. It’s why I requested to see her when we thought my heart wouldn’t last this time. I couldn’t go to meet my Maker with a clear conscience if I didn’t make this right.”

Brian nodded in acceptance. “So what’s the next step? Melanie, were you able to get in touch with Trevor?”

“I was. He said that as of right now, the temporary custody of John and Peter will stand regardless of these new circumstances.”

“John and Peter?” Frayda asked.

“Claire’s sons,” Brian answered. “Apparently, she’s in jail, being held on charges that haven’t been disclosed to us yet, but that Social Services feel will incur jail time nonetheless.” Brian shook his head, still unbelieving of how his life was so different than twenty-four hours ago. “Regardless, I can’t let the boys go back to Joan’s care, even temporarily. I can’t have that on my conscience, knowing what I know about her.”

“Surely she would not hurt her grandchildren,” Mendel gasped, but was cut short by Brian.

“Think Jacob and Feiga, then magnify it by about a thousand times; you still wouldn’t be able to grasp the damage Joan would do to them. I’m a living witness to that.”

“So you are going to seek permanent custody, then?” Frayda asked.

“I don’t know yet, but it’s the only way I can guarantee their safety. The three of us would never do anything to jeopardize that.”

“Then seeking custody is the only way to ensure it,” Mendel said assuredly.

“The largest obstacle is the fact that we’re all homosexuals,” Justin pointed out. “It’s the one argument that Joan really has to stop us from keeping the boys. The way the law is set up right now would rather a child stay in an abusive hetero home than for them to be safe in a homo’s house.”

“But there is another factor here. Brian knows firsthand what would happen under Joan’s care,” Melanie responded. “It’s just a matter of getting the right judge to hear the facts of the case.”

“It would be easy if there was proof of such abuse. If Joan is anything like the parents of the country club set, she made sure all the doors and windows were closed before she started in on you, Brian.”

“She did. If they were closed firmly at a certain time of day, I knew I was in for a long afternoon. But she always made sure they were at least cracked when Jack would go on his rampage.”   

“Why do you suppose she did that? I mean, she always lauded herself to be intensely private, didn’t she?” Melanie asked. “There had to be some ulterior motive in doing that.”

Brian nodded. “It was so that if anyone reported the abuse, she could claim that she was a victim of it, too, instead of the main instigator and perpetrator of the violence found in the Kinney household. Joan is an excellent actress when she has a reason to be. Heaven forbid that she is not portrayed to be the good Christian she purports to be.”

“Again, I am reminded of Lindsay, during this conversation,” Melanie said, shaking her head.

“You should be… both of you, should be,” Justin confirmed. “It’s what Lindsay always does. Anything that doesn’t display her in a positive light, she’ll either brush off as unimportant, or cover her shit better than any cat could.”

“Justin!” Brian began to acknowledge, before Justin cut him off.

“Still blind, Brian?”

“I’m not blind, Justin, but…”

“Forget I said anything.” Justin shrugged, before turning to Melanie. “So, since you know the attorney who has taken over from Seymour Hoffman, perhaps you should give him a call in the morning. He should be able to at least tell you if whatever Skye left for Brian is still there, right?”

“Yes,” Melanie answered, feeling uneasy at the sudden tension between Brian and Justin. It was a side to their relationship she had never seen. She’d seen them together. She’d seen them apart. But never had she seen the way they argued. It was quiet, yet forceful and spoke as potently as if they were each yelling their heads off. There was no doubt that Justin had gotten his point across with those few well-placed words. Bringing herself back to the matter at hand, she said, “He should have the information of what happened and any other accompanying documents.”

“Good. So that’s the first place we need to start tomorrow,” Justin said, just as his phone rang. “Please excuse me a few moments. I need to take this call. Daphne...”

He answered the call as he left the room. Melanie could see the agitation assailing Brian once again. “Brian…”

“Don’t, Mel.”

“I wasn’t going to, but you know, Justin gave me a lot to think about before he came to sit by you while you were at the river. And I have to admit, he’s right. I think back over to every interaction I’ve had with Lindsay over the years when we were having an argument, and anything that didn’t make her come off looking like the serene Madonna she portrays to the world, was either disregarded or deflected where I often ended up apologizing. I suspect you’ve done your fair share to her as well despite your no apologies, no excuses, no regrets motto.”

Brian was quiet for a few moments to absorb what Melanie had said. It seemed to him there were a few people who had forced him to apologize to them, even when he was well within his rights to react to situations not of his own making. Joan, Debbie, Michael… and Lindsay. It was either the price of his supposed disobedience to their wills, disrespect of their wishes, or disregard of their censure. He wondered why that was.

“You owe that young man an apology,” Frayda advised him.

“No,” Brian said.

“No? But you…”

Brian smiled slightly. “Justin won’t expect one; he’ll expect me to do better.”

“Do better?” she had trouble understanding what Brian was trying to tell her, but Melanie knew.

“Actions speak louder than words, Ima,” Mel informed her. “Brian always says ‘sorry is bullshit’. And yes, he could apologize all he wanted, but Justin still wouldn’t believe him. They are easy words to say, even when you’re feeling anything but apologetic. But his actions hence forth will tell Justin exactly what Brian really thinks of what he’s said regarding Lindsay. I have to admit again that he’s right. It’s funny, considering how short of time Justin has known Lindsay, and even less of Joan. But he seems to have them pegged already, where Brian and I have been eternally blind to their machinations. I suspect the same goes for Debbie, and especially, Michael.”

“Michael? Who’s Michael?” Mendel asked.

“Brian’s best friend up until recently,” Melanie answered. “Speaking of which, what are you going to do about him?”

“Right now, I asked Shavonne to go ahead and have the temporary restraining order instated,” Brian answered.

“What? Why? And when did you and Shavonne decide that?!” Melanie asked him.  

“After the scene at the courthouse yesterday, it seemed like a good idea for a number of reasons. First off, there’s no telling what Justin will do to Michael once he’s told about the crap Michael had Bellwether print, or that reporter in Portland. I still haven’t let him see any of it. Secondly, I don’t know what I would do to him if he spouts bullshit at or about Justin to me right now. So in a sense, it’s keeping me and Justin out of jail, and giving Michael the room to grow up and figure out his own life. He’ll have to live with it.”

Melanie nodded. “With all the two of you have going on right now, and the new additional responsibilities, wiping Michael’s ass is something that none of us need.” Her phone rang, just as Justin was coming back into the room with a huge smile on his face. “Why is Pittsburgh P.D. calling me? Let me go take this. I’ll be right back.”

“What’s with the smile, Sunshine? And who is Daphne?” Frayda asked the younger man.

“She’s my best friend, and our nanny. She’s still at the hotel with the kids.” He turned to Brian. “Gus just woke up. She’s already fed him, while she and boys ordered room service. Also, she let me know that the laptop from FreeDraw Tech has arrived at the hotel. The UPS delivery of the computer Murph is sending should be here tomorrow.”

“You’re excited,” Brian smiled.

“I am, and more hopeful for the first time in a long while. It might be a way for me to resume my life sooner than we all expected, if what Murph says about the computer is true. Oh, by the way, you should be expecting a call from George and Cynthia later tonight. She said that my mom called the room since she couldn’t get me on the cell. She put a rush on the permits for the buildings, and they should be able to start on the reno at the Adonis by Tuesday at the latest. Because the commercial land behind the building is also listed with Diamondback Realty, she went ahead and paid for it out of my account. She needs to know how we will handle the parking for Kinnetik.”

“Is the garage next to the Adonis still available? I want it specifically for our employees,” Brian said. “You know what, let’s call her back now to find out while Mel is taking care of whatever call that is.”

“Good idea. And it should be guarded twenty-four seven. I don’t trust that bald bastard for any reason, and even if it would give us extra rental income for the other businesses in the area, I still don’t want any Gardner sympathizers to have access to our parking garage. How many gay owned businesses are located downtown?”

“Forty six leading down to Liberty Avenue.”

“Does that include Babylon?”

“No. They are located on the other side of the street directly on Liberty.”

“Okay, so let’s do this…”

Mendel and Frayda looked on shell-shocked at the rapid fire conversation going on between Brian and Justin about their business. In all their years, they have never heard couple, who were involved in both life and business together, so in tuned with each other.

“I still want at least a little separation between the backyard of the house and Kinnetik, so how about this…” Brian suggested and went on detailing the plan to Justin.

“It could work, but… well, let’s get Mom on the line and we can work out the particulars. Plus, since we want the entire property gated with a wrought-iron fence, part of that could be used to secure the backyard. In fact, how about a circular driveway that goes from the back of the house all around to the front. That way, no one can just walk up to the front door either. The gate will have a security lock where you have to use the code and a fingerprint to get in. It will protect the kids, and still be convenient for snow removal between our house and the office.”

“I’m fine with that.” Brian shrugged. “But we still haven’t talked about what to do with the loft yet.”

“Keep it.”

“Keep it?”

“Yes. You don’t have a mortgage on it, and like it or not, we’ll need someplace to escape to when this life seems to be too much.”

“But I thought that was the purpose of having four wings to the house in addition to all the other amenities.”

“It is, but I don’t want any of us feeling like we’re tied to the house for any reason, Brian. That would be setting all of us up to fail from the outset. Having the loft in the bank will be good for a number of reasons, but primarily if we just need the temporary freedom it represents. Besides, with both Daphne and I in school, do you really want to be around all the time to relive the insanity of midterms and finals?”

Brian laughed. There were any number of days while Justin was living with Brian that he was ready to throw Daphne and Justin out of the window head first, along with their books. Between the constant mumblings of talking through word problems, dealing with Calculus and Dixon’s dickery, and the phone calls that would happen as soon as Daph would leave for home, Brian was not anxious to repeat the experience. The biggest argument between the two occured when Brian and Justin had run out of toilet paper, and didn’t think to get more while Justin and Daphne were spending the weekend at the loft studying during finals. Brian had walked into a screaming match happening between Justin and Daphne while she was stranded on the toilet.

Even now, as he thought about it, he chuckled. “You’re right. During those two occasions, I’ll either kick the two of you out of the house so that your loud arguments don’t scare them, or we’ll just go and stay there until the educational cold war is over.”

Justin smiled back. “See! I knew you’d see it my way. Besides that’s the place we made love for the first time.”

“It’s just four walls and floor… and I fucked your brains out.”

“It was love to me,” Justin whispered.

Brian pulled him close, placing their foreheads together briefly, before disengaging. “Right. So we call Mother Taylor, and get the plans started right away. Then we go back to the hotel, and…”

“I get to work.”

“Work wasn’t what I had in mind, Sunshine.”

“I know, which is why I need to get what’s in my head out of it, so I can concentrate on what you really have in mind. You wouldn’t want me to do a rush job, would you?” Justin raised an eyebrow in Brian’s direction. Although the words sounded innocent, the innuendo was quite clear to all the occupants of the bedroom.

“Even those are worth the price of admission, Sunshine; never doubt that.”

Mendel cleared his throat as heated looks exchanged between Brian and Justin. “Parental figures present so cut that out! Now Justin, you make the call while Brian comes over here and listens to the conversation.”

“Why over there?” Brian protested slightly, even though he was also amused.

“Because it is apparent that you will try to feel him up while he is on the phone with his mother,” Mendel answered.

“How do you know that?”

“Contrary to your obvious belief, Frayda and I were young once, and full of… vigor, for lack of a better term. There wasn’t much I didn't dare back then, including that.”

Brian snickered, but complied with Mendel, who he was coming to like immensely.