CHAPTER 4: CONTACT

SLICK’S CAR EMPORIUM – SUNDAY MORNING

BEDROOM

JUSTIN

I open my eyes and he’s gone. I knew it!  I knew I was hallucinating or having a really good dream. Trying not to cry with disappointment, I slowly get up and pull off the overalls and put back on my clothes, which smell wonderfully clean.

Taking one last look round to see that I’ve not left anything, not that I have anything to leave, I head downstairs, out into the forecourt and back to St Peter’s.

BRIAN

Right I’ve just got to go to the diner and then I can…oh fuck no, change of plan back to the car and then to the diner.  Quickly I turn back and hope he hasn’t seen me. 

DINER

DEBS

“Morning mother.  Which section are you in?”

I grit my teeth at this new affectation he has acquired. Before I was ‘ma’ now I’m ‘mother.’ He moves down to the gentrified part of town and thinks he’s Little Lord Fucking Fauntleroy!  I point at my section and he grabs a booth, almost breaking his neck to get there.

“My friends are coming,” he advises the people who he pushed past.  “Another booth has come free now.” 

I serve them first mumbling apologies. They smile and roll their eyes as everyone knows how Michael is.  But as Slick says just because they know how he is doesn’t mean he should get away with shit. That’s one of the main sources of our arguments. In fact, I don’t think we are argue about anything else though the last one was particularly bad. He made a remark about her not having a mother and that is a no-no for her. So when she cracked back, I stupidly leapt into defend him. We didn’t speak for three weeks until Brian intervened.

“Hey Debs, how are you today?”  Ems voice trills behind me.  “I shall be with his lordship when you’re ready.” He heads to the back booth exaggerating his swish to annoy Michael and I have to hide my smile.

“Brian!  Over here!” He yells, waving like a demented cheerleader. 

Brian saunters to the back booth and slides in next to him. He lights up a fucking candle.  I head over with my pad and a silent prayer of fortitude.

“What will it be boys?”  I ask.  “Oh Brian I managed to get that stuff cleaned for you, but don’t freak I think I shrunk your sweater.”  I wait for the explosion.

“Mother, everyone knows you don’t machine wash cashmere, right Brian?”

“How shrunk is shrunk?”  He grumbles, no explosion just grumbling.

I head back to the office and return with his sweater and the clothes Justin was wearing.  “It’s not that bad.”  I hope.

“Not that bad? It’s at least a size too small. What did you do put it in the hot wash?”  Michael is reacting worse than Brian, who is just staring at it with a look of…I don’t know but it’s not anger.

“It’s okay Debs, I’ve always wanted a slim fit cashmere sweater.  Thanks is that the rest of the stuff?” 

“Yeah. Oh by the way, what happened to that kid?”  I demand.  “Just because he puked on you doesn’t mean you get to welch out of the deal!”  I jab my pencil at him.

“Yes, did you rip him a new one?  Hunter told me about it yesterday. I went to the loft to see how you were but you weren’t in…”  Michael trails off with a pout and puppy dog eyes.

“I ended up at Britin instead. I wanted to have a bath and there isn’t one in the loft, as you well know from your numerous visits.”  Brian replies.  “Excuse me a minute... hey Slick, what’s up?”

SLICK’S CAR EMPORIUM

SLICK’S OFFICE

“What’s up is that I was coming back to my emporium and saw Justin walking down the street. Where the hell are you? You asshole how could you just leave him like that? Ooh I’m so pissed, I could key your car!  Now I’m putting you on speaker so you can tell him exactly what the fuck you were thinking!”

“Hang on. I have to take this, be right back. Slick are you there? Look I left him a note to say where I was going… Justin I left a note. I went to get some things and I was coming back as soon as I could but got waylaid by Debs and…”

“Michael?  Justin was there a note?”  He’s shaking his head. “So where’d you put this note?”

“On the table by the bed.”

“You stay there, be right back.” 

“Justin?  Justin please talk to me. I left you a note; I promise you I left a note.”  I hear Brian beseeching Justin to believe him.

“And he never breaks a promise nor does he lie.” I say as I come back into the office. “It fell down and ended up under the bed.  Sorry about the asshole and keying car threat Brian, but you should’ve seen how upset he was.  Look I’m gonna leave you guys to talk and whatever it says in that note you do.  Bye Brian.”

BRIAN

I heave a sigh of relief and head back inside. I know I won’t be able to get away from Michael for a while but I need to get the stuff back to Slick.  I text Emmy Lou and wait for 2 minutes.

“You buzzed.”  He saunters out.  “Thank God. If I hear one more ‘mother’ from him, I might just piss in his coffee.  What can I do for you?”

“Did you bring the… oh good.  Look take my car go to Slick’s and give her the stuff in the boot, and this.  She’ll explain with great pleasure, I’m sure.  And Emmy Lou don’t drive like Miss Daisy. Get there quickly.”

“Okay this has to be good if you are letting me drive one of your babies.  Toodles.”

SLICK’S CAR EMPORIUM

EMMY LOU

I have to admit that I’m not a lover of cars but this place is just heavenly.  There is a Maserati in the showroom that I would give my right nut to fuck in and I’m over 6 foot and don’t bend that well.

“Hey Emmy Lou come up!”  Slick hollers.  “Tea or something stronger.”

“Stronger!”  I call back as I make my way upstairs and find myself staring at Savouring Kid.  “So what’s he doing here?  And these are from Brian for you.” She frowns at me but takes the bags and starts smiling as she looks through them.

“Oh manners... Emmett Honeycutt this is Justin, uh- what’s your surname?”

“Taylor.”

“Emmett Honeycutt this is Justin Taylor; Justin Taylor, Emmett Honeycutt. He did the food you barfed up.”

“You!”  I gasp.  “I heard about someone desecrating the great God Kinney and his car but had no idea it was you.  Aha, so this would be his payback, getting him to sort his car out?”

“And his dry cleaning and new Prada, I repeat, Prada shoes.” Justin giggles at her perfect impersonation of a pissed off Brian.  “Yeah it may have started off that way…”

My gossip radar is pinging and by the way he’s blushing something happened. “Dish!”  I demand and fold myself into her couch.  “I want to know everything and I swear I will try and keep it quiet.”

“Well you know about the puking thing. Well he brought him here and he fainted. We had to get him into the shower to warm him up and after that I don’t know…you’d have to ask Justin…so Justin tell Emmy Lou what happened next. You know between the shower and the couch…”

Justin is bright pink but smiling so hard, we both look expectantly at him. “He washed my hair and then when I came out, I prayed that he would kiss me but I unconsciously said it out loud. And he did and then Slick came in a found us making out…”

“Wait, define kiss. Were there tongues involved?”  I demand.  “And where were you making out?”

“Yes tongues and first against the wall then we moved to the couch,” he mumbles, grinning at the memory.

“So Slick were hips involved? Ass grabbing?”  I query hopefully, I love living through Kinney tales.

“No hips and nothing below the waist as far as I could tell.  But lots of running hands through hair and face stroking.  And judging by the lack of condom wrappers nothing happened last night either.”

“Slick!”  Justin groans going redder.

“Last night!” I shriek. “Wait you and Brian made out, there was nothing below the waist, slept the night but actually slept and…and…and I’m missing something aren’t I?”

“Yep, these are a mite small for Brian, don’t you think? And the greys aren’t really his colour and we know how particular he is about his clothes…”

She’s smiling at Justin who just looks at the bags and then at her.  “He, he bought these for me?”  She nods and hands them to him and he looks through them with wonder.  “But, but where am I going to put them? I can’t take them to St Peter’s. They’ll be stolen and where is he? I need to talk to him about this!”

“Why don’t you call him?”  She asks gently bringing another bag in front of her.

“I don’t have his number let alone a phone. Can I use your office?”

“Sure, but call him from this. Says he’s speed dial one.”  With shaking hands he takes the bag from her and pulls out an iPhone.  “Emmy Lou let’s leave him to it.  And Justin don’t be too proud okay?”

He nods and bites his lip. As he starts to dial, we head to the kitchen and close the door.

“Slick what the hell’s happened?”

“You’ve just met Brian’s kapow and we are going to have fun keeping Michael in the dark. But when he finds out we’re also going to be making sure he doesn’t interfere, correct?”

“His kapow really!  Oh I’m so pleased for him. It’s about fucking time!  And yes we’re going to let them work this on their own and that means no interference from Canada either!  Oh wait, can I tell Ted? Please let me tell Ted.”

“You can tell Ted, we need all the help we can get.”

SLICK

And this is why I love Emmy Lou. He just wants happiness for Brian like I do; not happiness on other people’s terms.