Chapter 19 - Trimming Trees.

On Sunday morning, Brian made sure to wake up early enough to ensure that Gus wouldn’t be tempted by the cat’s ‘cereal’ again. He set the alarm for seven. It wasn’t easy to force himself out of his nice cozy bed, where the snugly blond skater boy was still snoozing away after spending long hours, deep into the night, making it up to Brian for his sojourn to Central Park, the Zoo, the Carousel and then, to top off the list of indignities, the Ice Skating. Justin had been true to his word though and Brian admired how insistent he’d been to ‘kiss it all better’. It had definitely mollified Brian’s sore sense of pride even if he would still have the bruises.

But, even after Lindsay had reassured him that eating cat food wasn’t going to hurt Gus, Brian was still repulsed by the idea. He didn’t want to risk Gus getting up before him and sharing breakfast with the cat. He much preferred having his son go with him on an expedition to find bagels. Apparently Brian had done an excellent job of wearing out the lad the day before, though, since Gus was still wrapped up in Justin’s bed with Winston the Cat curled comfortably in the crook of the boy’s arm when Brian switched on the overhead light. Too bad! If Brian was going to have to get up, so was Gus! He gently shook the boy awake and then trundled him out of the apartment on a quest for breakfast fixings.

By the time they got back, Justin was out of bed and almost awake. He was sitting on the couch, dressed in sweats and sipping at an extra-large mug of coffee. Winston was perched on his lap, purring away and serving his primary function of being a lap warmer. Justin perked right up though when the Kinney men came in bearing bagels and all the fixings and jumped off the couch to help get things ready, to Winston’s vocal complaint at being upended. Happily for all, Gus took over the Winston cuddling while Brian and Justin set out food.

“So, Brian. What’s on your ‘fun-genda’ for today?” Justin asked when they were all munching away on well-cream-cheesed bagels. “I’m sure I can suggest a bunch more fun activities for you two,” he threatened with an evil little smile.

“I think we’ve had more than enough of your suggestions, Sunshine,” Brian wanted to nip that in the bud before the blond got Gus’ hopes set on another impossible and daunting outing.

Unfortunately, Brian wasn't quick enough with an alternative idea, and that left a nice big opening for Gus to speak up and offer his own proposal.

“Daddy, Gramma Debbie said that she would have a big Christmas Tree at her house. She said it wasn’t Christmas without a tree. Momma said that we didn’t need a tree at our house since we were going to stay at Gramma’s on Christmas night, but I think you need one. Can we do that today? Get your tree? I could help put on the dec’rations? Can we, Daddy? Can we?” the little voice implored piteously.

“I happen to know there’s a great little Christmas Tree farm in Greenwich, Connecticut, where you can cut down your own trees. It’s not far. If we leave right away, we can get there and I can help you pick out a tree and still make it back for work this afternoon,” Justin offered, almost as full of boundless excitement as the preschooler at the idea - he only stopped gushing about the idea when he heard Brian groaning from the chair next to him.

“Yay! Tree! Tree!” Gus was chanting and dancing around the apartment, shaking his little fists in the air with glee, already dead set on the plan.

“Thanks a-fucking-lot, Sunshine!” Brian bemoaned his fate but couldn’t bear to disappoint the bouncing, cheering little boy.

“Sorry . . .” Justin offered an apathetic apology while all the time grinning away at Brian’s unswerving devotion to give his son practically anything the boy wanted.

“Okay, Sonnyboy. If you want to get a tree, then hurry and go get dressed. And you, Sunshine, are not abandoning me with this little idea of your’s so you go get dressed too.”

Two hours later, Brian found himself trudging through half-frozen mud ruts in the middle of some desolate nowhere, while Justin and Gus ran about like demented Christmas elves intent on finding the ‘Perfect’ Christmas tree. Brian thought it was lucky that he had decided to keep his Jeep and simply put it in storage when he wasn’t using it - not only were they going to need it to get the fucking tree back to the apartment, but he was glad to have the four-wheel drive seeing as he had to park in the middle of a field. His Prada boots were getting ruined and he was cold and unhappy about this little adventure, but he couldn’t deny that Justin and Gus seemed delighted with the whole production. Brian just tried to grin and bear it, determined to do whatever it took to make his only son happy, even if that meant trudging through mud to saw down a stupid tree in the freezing cold far too early on a Sunday morning.

The tree lot owner came along after a few more minutes and, once Justin and Gus had decided on the tree they wanted, pushed a button that caused his chainsaw to roar to life. He efficiently severed the tree from its roots, and then obligingly dragged it back to the area where all the cars were parked. He then grabbed a huge pair of loppers and snipped off a couple of the lower branches, took Brian’s $120 bucks and was off back to the field to help the next bunch of suckers.

“Now what the hell do we do with it, Sunshine,” Brian couldn’t help but whine a little, at a complete loss for how the seemingly enormous tree was going to fit in the car.

Justin chuckled as he watched Brian, who was clearly trying to mentally shove the tree inside the smallish vehicle. Justin opened the passenger side door and retrieved his bag, into which he had stuffed several bungie cords that he sometimes used when he had to transport large canvases around for the gallery. He might never have made it past Webelos when his father had forced him to try scouting, but Justin prided himself on always being prepared, nonetheless.

“Simple. We hoist the tree onto the roof of the car and then strap it on with these,” Justin explained succinctly.

Of course, in the end, it wasn’t nearly that simple. With Gus running about underfoot trying to ‘help’, Brian and Justin together did manage to get the tree up onto the top of the Jeep. But Brian got hit in the face with the end of a bungie cord and then got his finger pinched in the rope and was thoroughly pissed off about the entire procedure before they managed to secure the damn thing into place. Brian only barely managed to hold back a string of curses that would have put Jack Kinney’s usual Christmas tirade to shame - only his stubborn refusal to subject Gus to a ‘traditional’ Kinney Christmas preventing him from displaying his bad mood.

Luckily Gus didn’t seem to even notice that his father was barely keeping it together. He was so caught up in the Christmas spirit he was literally bouncing in place with excess energy. Justin noticed that Brian wasn’t really in the best of moods, but he respected the man’s restraint and determination not to ruin this moment for the little boy. Justin was impressed by how dedicated Brian was as a father and, remembering a few of his own father’s holiday outbursts, wished that every dad had that much self-control. He quietly slipped his gloved hand into Brian’s and gave a little supportive squeeze along with a Sunshine smile, which seemed to pacify Brian a bit.

“You’re doing great, big guy,” Justin reassured him in a hushed voice. “Gus is going to remember this Christmas for a long time. You’re making some wonderful memories for him.”

Brian looked surprised by what Justin said - it was so incredibly perceptive. “Thanks. That’s what I wanted for him. I . . . I don’t have many of those . . . good memories, I mean,” Brian confessed, the words torn out of him almost against his will it seemed.

“Well, you’re doing an excellent job today, Mr. Kinney,” Justin reassured the tense man. “Now, we just have to get this gorgeous tree home and decorated.”

Brian groaned again at the idea that there was still more Christmas stuff he had to get through. He was really surprised at himself by how well he’d been doing so far. But the thought that there was even more that he’d have to put up with was daunting. One look at Gus’ beaming little face though quelled any objections he might have voiced.

*phhhffffttt* Brian huffed but squared his shoulders and prepared himself mentally to take on the rest of the Christmas experience. “Okay, Sunshine. I give up. Just tell me what I need to do next. You are the expert here. But, be gentle, I’m new at this shit.”

“Don’t worry, Brian. This is the toughest part. Once you’ve got the tree, it’s easy. I’ll walk you through it. All you have to do is pick up some lights and a tree stand at the store while I’m working. I’ll take over after that,” Justin explained.  

“You still have to work . . . Sunshine . . . ?" Brian was ready to bolt at the thought that he was about to be abandoned with Gus and an undecorated Christmas tree for several hours.

“You’ll be fine,” Justin promised. “After all this fresh air, then shopping and lunch, Gus should go down for an afternoon nap easily. If you’re lucky, he’ll sleep almost the whole time and then I’ll be there to save you before it gets too bad.”

“You better be . . .” Brian grumbled but Justin could see that he was already reconciled. “Time to head home, Gus,” Brian waved his son back to the car. “We have to get Justin to work and then we have some shopping to do, Sonnyboy. Who knew Christmas was such hard fucking work?”

<><><><><><><><>

Justin was loaded down with bags of supplies when he finally made it back to the apartment that evening. He’d finished up at the gallery, stopped at the market and then rushed off to Impressions Art Supply and put his employee discount to good use getting everything he and Gus would need to decorate for the holidays. Justin was raring to get started - he hadn’t done anything for Christmas the past couple of years and, since things with his parents were so strained, he hadn’t ventured home either. This would be the first time in awhile Justin would get to really celebrate one of his favorite holidays and he was thrilled.

Inside the apartment, all the lights were off and at first Justin thought nobody was there. He was about to switch on the overhead lights when he heard a soft snoring coming from the vicinity of the couch. He toed off his shoes and tried to close the door quietly even though his arms were full and then walked softly into the main room. In the dim light that seeped inside from the big outdoor windows, Justin could make out two dark heads curled up together in exhaustion on the couch. Putting all his packages down on the dinner table, Justin managed to sneak over, pull out his cell phone and quickly sneak a photo of the group on the couch. Unfortunately, the flash on his camera startled the couch’s other occupant - a furry grey little bugger with claws - the frightened cat woke up the bigger of the two sleeping angels in his frenzied escape.

“Oww! Goddamned little fuzzball! Someday, you little bastard, I’m going to wring your furry little neck . . . Hey, Sunshine,” Brian’s venomous grumbles turned into a guiltily whispered greeting when he finally noticed that Justin was home. He slowly unfolded himself from around Gus’ still napping body and got up. “You were right about the ‘wearing him out thing’. I’m afraid that I wore me out too, though.”

“You better not get on Winston’s bad side, Brian. I’m warning you. He might look small and unthreatening, but you really don’t want to alienate him.” Justin tried to caution the now semi-contrite man, but Brian just shrugged.

Brian woke up the littlest elf and then the three men had a quick bite to eat before they started in on the bulk of the holiday decorating. Brian and Justin got the tree set up in its stand with Gus supervising. Then the adults wrapped the multi-colored strands of twinkling lights around all the branches and plugged them in. Gus stood and clapped and jumped around, thoroughly pleased with his creation. Brian was smiling indulgently down at his son, and looking very pleased with himself at the same time. Justin thought they were both simply adorable.  

As soon as the tree was standing and the lights were up, though, both Brian and Gus seemed at a loss as to what to do next. Justin knew he would have to take charge. Unloading the craft supplies onto the dining table, Justin ushered the other two over and got them started making paper chains using red, green and white construction paper. Brian scoffed at first, but when Gus seemed more than excited by the idea, Daddy Brian set in with good grace and started gluing strips of paper into rings with the paste. Justin had even managed to pick up some paper that had interesting Christmasy designs on them and Brian seemed to find those especially intriguing. When both the Kinney boys seemed engrossed in their little project, Justin left them to start in on his portion of the preparations in the kitchen.

Fifteen minutes later, Justin came back out and found that the Kinneys had made significant progress with their paper chains. There were already piles of paper chains heaped on the table and dribbling off onto the floor. Gus was intent on working quickly and making the longest chains possible. Brian, on the other hand, was indulging his creative perfectionist tendencies and trying to make the ‘perfect’ chain using just the right combinations of papers with the most coordinated color schemes. It looked like Gus was outperforming his dad in the production department by a ratio of at least ten percent. But Brian was so absorbed in his work that he didn’t seem to notice that he was falling behind.

Justin hesitated to disturb the industrious pair. However Gus, having the normal attention span of any three-year-old, was more than ready to move on to the next project. As soon as Justin had paid his paper chain work sufficient praise, he was ready for the next task. They left Brian sorting through the construction paper looking for the best design to use next in his chain.

In the kitchen, Justin had mixed up a special batch of gingerbread that was sturdier than the typical cut-out cookies. He rolled out the dough on the kitchen counter, pulled up a chair so Gus could stand on it and still reach the countertops, and then took out a stack of cookie cutters he’d picked up at the store. Gus already knew how these worked and laid into the dough with the various shaped cutters with utter abandon. Justin had a tough time keeping enough dough rolled out for him. Justin transported the cut out cookies from the counter to a cookie sheet and, using a straw, he cut out a little round hole in the top of each figure. They had gingerbread girls and boys, Santas, reindeer faces, angels, round ornament shapes and some bells. When they ran out of dough, Justin put all the cookies in the oven and shooed Gus off back to make some more paper chains while he prepared the next part of the plan.

Using an old air popper that, thankfully, Brian hadn’t thrown out in his cleaning rampage through the kitchen, Justin popped up an enormous amount of popcorn, collecting it in one big bowl and almost every small bowl they had. Then, using a mixture of sugar, water and corn syrup, with a touch of red food coloring added, Justin mixed all the popcorn until it was a gooey, sticky mess. While it was cooling, Justin hurried out to the dining room table with a roll of waxed paper and a can of spray-on cooking oil. Brian was a tad annoyed to be interrupted in the midst of his paper chain masterpiece, but Gus convinced him to set the project aside for a moment.

They quickly cleared off the table and covered it with wax paper. Then, Justin sprayed Gus and Brian’s hands with the cooking oil until they were nice and slippery. Finally, he brought out the bowls full of cooler but still sticky red popcorn and ordered the slicked up duo to start forming the mixture into balls about the size of a tennis ball. As soon as each ball was formed, and before it got too cool, Justin would stick a little miniature candy cane into it to form a hanger.

While the popcorn ornaments were setting up, Justin and Gus started hanging the finished paper chains on the tree. Brian went back to his obsession with his paper chain creation masterpiece. The timer went off in the kitchen and Justin skipped off to take care of the cookies. By the time he got back to the living room, Justin could see Gus yawning and his eyes drooping. It looked like the kid had been subjected to too much Christmas fun for one day. Brian gave Justin a distracted nod when asked if it was okay for him to help Gus get ready for bed. Gus was too tired even for a bath, so Justin simply helped him into jammies, watched while he brushed his teeth and then tucked the little boy into bed - no fuss or bother, this night.

Justin came out of the bedroom to find Brian STILL bent over the paper ring project. He thought it was a little strange that Brian seemed so caught up in this little pre-school level project. He sat at the table next to the serious brunet and watched for a long time before he commented.

“You’re quite the pro at this, Brian. You must have racked up a lot of experience over the years. I bet your house had the best Christmas decorations on the block every year,” Justin commented finally, mostly to just break the rather intense silence.

“No,” was Brian’s terse answer.

“No . . . what?" Justin was confused.

“No, I don’t have any experience doing this shit and . . . No, my house never had any decorations,” Brian professed quietly, not really looking up at Justin while he spoke.

“You never made paper chains?” Justin couldn’t stop himself from asking, although he regretted the words as soon as he saw their import hit Brian.

Brian didn’t respond at first. He looked down at his hands, which were currently holding together the two ends of one paper ring while the glue set. All of the sudden it was like the excitement and joy he’d been feeling up to this point just evaporated away. Brian shoved the remains of the paper chain away from him, pushed his chair away from the table abruptly and got up. Justin was left sitting alone at the table, not really sure what he’d done to kill the comfortable, happy mood, only knowing that it had disappeared.

“I need a beer. You want one,” Brian asked as he thumped off towards the kitchen, his uncaring asshole mask firmly back in place.

“Sure,” Justin replied uncertainly, picking up the elegant paper chain and carefully draping it over a bare span on the very front of the Christmas tree.

<><><><><><><><>